Lacoste's crocodile and polo shirt are known everywhere. But what many do not know is that behind this almost hundred-year-old brand lies the story of a tennis player who knew how to use his name and his fame: René Lacoste.
René Lacoste was a renowned and award-winning French tennis player who reached number 1 in the world ranking in 1927 and who took advantage of his fame to create and promote a clothing brand with his last name as its flag. The clothes that he promoted at the beginning were only sportswear, but after his success it began to cover many more genres.
Why a crocodile?
Almost anyone can imagine the Lacoste logo without even seeing it. The crocodile is known worldwide, but the story of why its creator chose that symbol is less. The image of the crocodile is born from a curious anecdote.
René Lacoste was in Boston (United States) with his team preparing for the 1923 Davis Cup. The tennis player saw a crocodile skin suitcase that he liked. Alan Muhr, his coach, joked that he would buy him that suitcase if he won. He didn't win, but the little story made it to the press, and a reporter for the Boston Evening Transcript told the little joke in his paper. Since then the tennis player was known as "The Crocodile". Years later, in 1927, a green gigi alligator with red and open jaws would become the logo of the Lacoste brand, thanks to the artist Robert George.
