■ About the Issue

Lacoste, founded in 1933 by French tennis legend René Lacoste, set a new standard for sportswear with the L.12.12, a piqué polo shirt developed to balance on-court performance with style. René’s pursuit of both practicality and a refined aesthetic formed the brand’s identity alongside the iconic crocodile logo, allowing his tennis-rooted designs to naturally integrate into everyday attire. Since then, Lacoste has accumulated contemporary significance as it was reinterpreted across preppy style, street culture, and other diverse cultural currents while expanding its reach into high fashion with runway collections. Today, Lacoste solidifies its presence by carving out a unique space between mega sportswear brands and traditional luxury houses-a position defined by its signature “functional elegance.”

■ 5 Key Takeaways from Issue no.101

ㆍ A heritage museum that looks 90 years back to see beyond the next century
In Troyes, France-birthplace of the L.12.12, the piqué polo that symbolizes Lacoste-stands a heritage museum preserving over 90 years of history. Its holdings span some 45,000 textiles, including a jacket founder René Lacoste favored in his playing days, plus 6,000-odd pairs of shoes, eyewear, and drawings. Through this archive, Lacoste finds cues for new collections and products. It offers a glimpse not only into Lacoste's past, but its future.

ㆍ The creative lineage from Lemaire to Baptista to Trotter, and the story behind the 2026 F/W collection
Christophe Lemaire, founder of Lemaire; Felipe Oliveira Baptista, former director of Kenzo; and Louise Trotter, now at the helm of Bottega Veneta. As Lacoste's creative directors, these three figures shaking today's fashion scene elevated the sportswear label into the realm of fashion. Building on this, Pelagia Kolotouros-who joined in 2023-is translating René Lacoste's heritage into the language of fashion. We trace the runway journey from Lemaire to Trotter through an expert's eyes, with a look behind the 2026 F/W collection.

ㆍ From K-pop artists to tennis legend Novak Djokovic, the people who wear Lacoste
Having begun as sportswear and worked its way deep into everyday life, Lacoste's reach comes into focus through the people who make the brand their own. K-pop artist Kai, with his signature relaxed styling, shows its range as a fashion item, while tennis legend Novak Djokovic-writing his name into Grand Slam history in a crocodile-emblazoned uniform-proves its enduring strength as sportswear. Beyond them, creators from film directors to stylists reinterpret Lacoste's clothing in their own ways.
ㆍ How the crocodile logo crossed eras to create different cultural codes
Lacoste was born on the tennis court, yet its reach extends far beyond it, embracing a wide range of cultures. From the 1960s to the 1980s, chosen by icons who defined their age-John F. Kennedy Jr., Diana Spencer, and others-it established itself as a symbol of the classic preppy look; in the 1990s, through the film La Haine and the hip-hop group 113, it was reborn as an avant-garde icon representing the subculture of France's suburban banlieues. We take a close look at Lacoste's cultural spectrum, ever-expanding as it dissolves the boundaries of era, generation, and class.

ㆍ From LVMH and Richemont, the Lacoste envisioned by Éric Vallat, a luxury veteran
A fashion house or a sportswear brand; a high-end label for the few or a mega-brand for the many. Faced with these crossroads, Lacoste resists easy definition-the result of a shrewd strategy balancing the refinement of a fashion house with the energy of a sportswear brand. So where does the next step lead for a brand with nearly a century of heritage? The answer lies with Éric Vallat, who became CEO in 2025. Having spent over three decades across every corner of luxury-LVMH, Richemont, even Rémy Martin-he tells us the future trajectory Lacoste will trace.