René Lacoste
Lacoste's namesake company looks beyond the trends of the moment to focus on classic sportswear that never goes out of style. This strong singular concept was the brainchild of René Lacoste, a French tennis player in the 1920s who was nicknamed "the Crocodile." In a time when woven tennis whites were the norm, Lacoste created his own uniform of short-sleeved cotton polo shirts with the now famous crocodile monogram.
After retiring from competitive tennis, Lacoste formed his company and began marketing his shirts. He was one of the first designers to brand his clothing with the logo on the outside, making the Lacoste shirt instantly identifiable. The tennis shirt was later introduced for the golf market, and Lacoste became a marker for the upscale, easy luxury of the country club. In the late '70s and '80s, the revival in preppy fashion gave the Lacoste polo shirt mass appeal. Worn untucked or with the collar popped, this was and continues to be a style that can be adapted for any demographic.