Lacoste L1212
Short Sleeve Polo Shirt
£49.99 (Special Offer)
Colour: White with Green Logo
Trim: Lacoste Caiman
Fabric: 100% Cotton
Original short sleeve lacoste polo shirt.
Our Price only £52.99
Ribbed collar and armbands, and two button placket.
Lacoste's original crocodile branding in left corner.
Regular fit, high quality polo from Lacoste's fantastic new collection.
Lacoste is a French apparel company founded in 1933 that sells high-end clothing, footwear, perfume, leather goods, watches, eyewear, and most famously, tennis shirts. The company can be recognized by its green crocodile logo. Lacoste has the reputation of being culturally preppy, especially in the United States.
René Lacoste was a famous French tennis player who achieved fame in two areas: tennis and fashion. While winning the 1927 U.S. Open championship, Rene Lacoste of France wore something that he himself had created: a white, short-sleeve shirt made exclusively of a light knitted fabric called ‘jersey petit piqué’ that served to wick away moisture due to heat, the very first version of performance clothing in sports. The shirt was a radical departure from tennis fashion of the day, which called for stiff, woven, long-sleeve oxfords. In 1923 during the Davis Cup, the American press nicknamed Lacoste "the Alligator" because of a bet made about an alligator-skin suitcase. With no cognate in his native tongue, the nickname was changed to le crocodile in French. The nickname stuck due to his tenacious behavior on the courts, never giving up his prey. Lacoste’s friend, Robert Georges, drew him a crocodile which Lacoste then embroidered on the blazer he wore on the courts.
After he retired from tennis, Lacoste founded La Chemise Lacoste in 1933 with André Gillier, the owner and President of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm at the time. They began to produce the revolutionary tennis shirt Lacoste had designed and worn on the tennis courts with the crocodile logo embroidered on the chest, serving as the first example of a brand name appearing on the outside of an article of clothing.
In addition to tennis shirts, Lacoste produced shirts for golf and sailing. In 1951, the company began to expand as it branched from "tennis white" and introduced color shirts. In 1952 the shirts were exported to the United States and advertised as "the status symbol of the competent sportsman", influencing the clothing choices of the upper-class.
More recently, Lacoste's popularity has surged due to French designer Christophe Lemaire’s work to create a more modern, upscale look. In 2005, almost fifty million Lacoste products sold in over one hundred and ten countries. Its visibility has increased due to the contracts between Lacoste and several young tennis players, including American tennis star Andy Roddick and French rising young prospect Richard Gasquet. Lacoste has also begun to increase its presence in the golf world, where noted 2 time Master champion, José María Olazábal and Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie have been seen sporting Lacoste shirts in tournaments.
As of late, Lacoste has been worn by many hip hop artists, such as Kanye West and most recently rapper Kia Shine. |
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Returns:
We offer a no quibble 14 day return policy
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Our standard shipping costs to the UK is £2.50 (2-3 working days)
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and will be calculated for you at the checkout stage.
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Size:
For Uk Size information click here: Size Information
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