Lacoste is one of the top fashion houses, known for its sportswear, accessories and its popular fragrance line. The house is easily identified by both its style and the unmistakable alligator emblem that adorns every product, be it a Lacoste perfume for her or a polo shirt.
Nicknamed "the Alligator", Rene Lacoste likes to tell the story of how he acquired his nickname and emblem in 1927. The story grew out of his love for tennis: “I was nicknamed 'the Alligator' by the American press after I made a bet with the captain of the French Davis Cup team about an alligator skin suitcase. He promised it for me if I won a very important match for our team The public must have loved this nickname, which never let go of the tenacity I showed on the tennis courts!
In 1933, Lacoste and André Gillier, the owner and president of the largest French knitting company at the time, founded a company to produce shirts with the Lacoste alligator emblem on it. Lacoste had designed this for its own use on the tennis court and this was one of the first times a brand appeared on a piece of clothing. The iconic Lacoste polo shirt revolutionized men's sportswear, replacing traditional long-sleeved shirts and starched dresses.
In the 1980s, the popularity of Lacoste sportswear skyrocketed, and the company decided to venture into other product lines, including Lacoste fragrances. In 1984 the first Lacoste cologne for men was introduced, simply titled Lacoste and featuring the classic alligator logo. Many more successful Lacoste fragrances would follow, but it was not until 1999 that the company introduced Lacoste perfume for her.