The polo shirt, the story of a stroke of genius
A look back at the polo shirt's fashion journey. Discover the story of an icon that changed the history of clothing.
René Lacoste, the crocodile
For René Lacoste, a young French tennis player of the 20s who racked up a string of exploits, style was inextricably linked to intelligence, allure and panache. Dressed all in white, with a beret on his head, he combined great elegance with respect for court etiquette. However, the champion's stood out for his slightly bold sense of humour, which set him apart from the rest... Nicknamed “the crocodile” by sports journalists - on the court, he never let go of his prey - René Lacoste made a name for himself in 1927 with a superb crocodile embroidered on the breast pocket of his blazer.
The move that changed everything
1928 was the year of the stroke of genius. René Lacoste competed in the French championship final wearing a non-regulation shirt. The tennis player would cut the sleeves off his shirt! With his movements liberated, René Lacoste is as chic as ever... "with a twist": he's faster than ever.
To better withstand the heat of the American courts on the tour, he quickly had a set of white jersey shirts made. For the organizers, who ensure compliance with court regulations, the short sleeves and form-fitting shape of the garment do not comply with the rules. For the athletes on the other hand, it was a revelation.
After numerous titles, the French champion put an end to his career and devoted himself to turning his revolutionary move into the new must-have tennis garment.
The triumph of the Lacoste polo shirt
In 1933, René Lacoste created his own brand and launched the first polo shirt in history. Its name, 'L.12.12', where the 'L' stands for Lacoste, the '1' stands for the selected Petit Piqué fabric: a special mesh structure that gives cotton a surprising lightness, the '2' stands for the short sleeves and '12' for the number of the final prototype.
A true concentrate of textile innovations, the Lacoste polo shirt revolutionized the codes of French elegance with short sleeves and ribbed cuffs that freed up movement, but also with 3 inventions that would change the face of garment's history: the shirt collar featuring a button placket, the fluid and breathable “petit piqué” jersey developed by Lacoste, and the crocodile embroidered on the chest.
Discover the story of the Lacoste crocodile here.
An avant-garde vision
It didn't take long for René Lacoste to come up with a poster campaign showing just how unique and desirable the L.12.12 polo shirt was. Constantly coming up with new ideas, he also suggested that his friends wear them to matches, a bold new initiative that made the polo shirt the talk of the town. Eventually, in agreement with René Lacoste, French national team player André Merlin decided to wear the polo shirt on court. Unbelievablly, the inventor of polo had also just invented the concept of player sponsoring...
“Elegance is first and foremost about adapting clothes to the situation and circumstances. But it's also about simplicity in the overall design and discretion in the details.”
René Lacoste, 1983
Polo shirts for all
In 1983, Bally magazine asked René Lacoste, “What does elegance mean to you?" “Elegance is first and foremost about adapting clothes to the situation and circumstances. But it's also about simplicity in the overall design and discretion in the details.” replied the man in white. More than a definition of style, René Lacoste was referring to a whole art of life, which certainly explains the extraordinary success of his invention.
From the 1930s onwards, the Lacoste polo embraced the lines of tennis courts to become sportswear's flagship garment. A new fashion trend at the time, it brought sportswear into the everyday wardrobe, and the polo shirt became the symbol of masculinity. Within a few decades, millions of people around the world were wearing Lacoste polo shirts. Available in a wide range of colors from the 50s onwards, it was now the symbol of a modern silhouette for men, women and children.
