Lacoste
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BECOME WHAT YOU ARE!
HISTORY : “LA CHEMÐSE LACOSTE”
Renй LACOSTE was the first, together with his friends “The Musketeers”, to steal the DAVIS CUP away from the Americans in 1927.
He won the French Open three times (1925, 1927 and at the ROLAND-GARROS stadium in 1929), twice in Great-Britain at WIMBLEDON (1925 and 1928) and twice the U.S. OPEN at Forest Hill (1926 and 1927). This is the way in which Renй LACOSTE entered the legend of tennis.
Renй LACOSTE was born in France on July 2, 1904 and died on October 12, 1996.
The true story of the “Alligator” begins in 1927. Renй LACOSTE liked to tell the way his nickname became an emblem recognized throughout the world.
“I was nicknamed “the Alligator” by the American press, after I had made a bet with the Captain of the French DAVIS CUP Team concerning a suitcase made from alligator skin. He promised to give it to me if I won a very important match for our team. The public must have been fond of this nickname which conveyed the tenacity I displayed on the tennis courts, never letting go of my prey!
So my friend Robert GEORGE drew an alligator which I then had embroidered on the blazer I wore on the courts.”
An attentive spectator at Renй LACOSTE s DAVIS CUP matches was the winner of the BRITISH Womens golf title, Mademoiselle Simone THION de la CHAUME, who soon became his wife and constant support.
In 1933, Renй LACOSTE and Andrй GILLIER, the owner and President of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm of that time, set up a company to manufacture the logo-embroidered shirt. The champion had designed this for his own use on the tennis court, as well as a number of other shirts for tennis, golf and sailing, as can be seen in the first catalogue, produced in 1933.
This was probably the first time a brand name had ever been visible on the outside of an item of clothing – an idea which since then has done extremely well.
This shirt revolutionized mens sportswear and replaced the woven fabric, long-sleeved, starched classic shirts. The first LACOSTE shirt was white, slightly shorter than its counterparts, had a ribbed collar, short sleeves with ribbed bands and was made of a light knitted fabric called “Jersey petit piquй”. It continues to offer the same quality, comfort and solidity on which it built its name and which constitute its uniqueness.
FROM 1933 UP TO NOW, A FEW KEY DATES ENABLE LACOSTE TO FOLLOW SIXTY FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS :
Industrial production of the first LACOSTE shirts, in particular the shirt in white “petit piquй” cotton.
1934 to 1939
Progressive and selective development of sales of top quality shirts.
1940 to1946
Interruption of the Companys activity during the war.
Resumption of production on the French market.
Beginning of clothing exports to Italy. Addition of a colour range to the white petit piquй cotton shirt.
Beginning of clothing exports to the United States.
First collection for children.
Launch of shorts and striped polo shirts.The string damper is patented by Renй LACOSTE.
Signature of a manufacturing and distribution licence for clothing in Spain.
Invention by Renй LACOSTE of the first steel racket. Another revolution in tennis equipment, far superior to the wooden models. The LACOSTE racket had a revolutionary round head and open throat and paved the way for todays models. Its unique distribution of weight at both ends concentrated the power behind the ball. Its small aerodynamic resistance gave it a high handiness and its original patented system for fixing the strings provided a higher efficiency, especially with low cost synthetic strings. This racket won 46 titles of the Grand Slam tournaments between 1966 and 1978, was distributed in the United States by WILSON and was used notably by Jimmy CONNORS and Billie Jean KING.Arrival of Bernard LACOSTE, Renй LACOSTEs eldest son, as Chairman of the Company.
Golf World Team Champion title goes to 19 years-old Catherine LACOSTE, Renй LACOSTEs and Simone THION de la CHAUMEs daughter.Beginning of clothing exports to Japan.
Signature of an agreement of manufacturing under licence for clothing in the United States. Addition of a line of tracksuits.
Victory of Catherine LACOSTE in the U.S. Ladies Golf OPEN, followed by a double win at the U.S. and the British Amateur in 1969.
Signature of a licensing agreement with Jean PATOU for a LACOSTE Eau de Toilette.
Signature of a manufacturing and distribution licence for clothing in Japan.
Invention by Renй LACOSTE of the “damper” which will be used on LACOSTE steel rackets. This small patented device absorbs vibrations while improving accuracy and increasing the restitution of energy and in turn the speed of the ball up to 10 % (test from the French National Institute For Sports). This device diminishes the risk of “tennis elbow”.
Signature of a manufacturing and distribution licence for clothing in Brazil.
Signature of a licensing agreement with LAMY for a line of sunglasses and optical frames.Addition of sports bags to the LACOSTE line.Opening of the first LACOSTE boutique in the world, avenue Victor Hugo in Paris.
Signature of a manufacturing and distribution licence for clothing in Australia.
Launch of a new line of mens toiletries with Jean PATOU.For the Peugeot 205 launch, construction of a special “LACOSTE” limited series.LA CHEMISE LACOSTE, becomes a member of the COLBERT Committee.
Launch of a new line of LACOSTE tennis shoes, manufactured in France, followed by deck shoes in 1986 and walking shoes in 1988.Presentation at the Paris Boat Show of the LACOSTE 42-foot yacht (the biggest “alligator” product to this day), designed by American architects “STEPHENS and SPARKMAN” and produced