HISTORICAL
RENÉ LACOSTE: hIS TRUE HISTORY
MAY – 2023 15 MINS READ
Lacoste is the most famous polo shirt brand in the world. How has this French brand been created? And what was tennis players RENÉ LACOSTE live through? Here we study the world’s best polo shirt – Lacoste.
Founded in 1933 by René Lacoste and André Gillier, La Chemise Lacoste introduced the revolutionary tennis shirt , featuring the iconic crocodile logo. In the 1950s, Izod produced Izod Lacoste clothing under license in the U.S., but in 1993 Lacoste regained exclusive rights.
L-1212
Lacoste offers a range of polo shirts in different styles, including the iconic “L12 12” design. The code “L12 12” represents specific features of the shirt. The first “1” indicates the use of piqué cotton, while the second “2” signifies that it is a short-sleeved shirt. The last number, 12, is believed to denote the prototype number. Jean René Lacoste, a notable French tennis player and entrepreneur, gained recognition for his unique approach to handling opponents on the tennis court. He earned the nickname “the Crocodile.” In 1929, Lacoste introduced the Lacoste tennis shirt, which later became famous worldwide. In 1933, he established the Lacoste brand and its distinctive logo. Lacoste was part of an exceptional group of French tennis stars known as The Four Musketeers, which included Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, and Henri Cochet. These players dominated the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lacoste achieved remarkable success, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles at the French, American, and British championships. He was known for his tactical skills and expertise as a baseline player. Lacoste also contributed to the French team’s victory in the Davis Cup in 1927 and 1928. In 1926 and 1927, he held the position of World No. 1 in tennis. Additionally, Lacoste earned a bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
In collaboration with André Gillier, Lacoste established La Société Chemise Lacoste in 1933. The company specialized in producing the tennis shirt, often referred to as a “polo shirt,” which Lacoste frequently wore during matches. The shirt featured an embroidered crocodile (sometimes mistaken for an alligator) on the chest. Bernard Lacoste, Jean René Lacoste’s son, took over the company’s management in 1963. Lacoste made a significant contribution to racket technology in 1961 when he introduced and patented the first tubular steel tennis racket. This innovation disrupted the prevailing use of wooden rackets. The new design incorporated strings attached to the frame through a series of wires that wrapped around the racket head. The steel-tube racket offered increased stiffness and imparted more power to the ball during a stroke. It was marketed as the Lacoste brand in Europe and by Wilson Sporting Goods in the United States. Following Lacoste’s passing, Publicis, the French Advertising agency that had been managing the company’s account for many years, published a print advertisement featuring the Lacoste logo alongside the words “See you later…” This further emphasized the notion that the animal depicted in the logo was possibly an alligator.
When did Lacoste polo shirts become popular?
This is a photo of a tennis court in Paris in 1936. The magazine also features linen with pockets.
Here is one article. French sports newspaper “L’Auto” magazine, 29 December 1933.
Nous avons tous connu les ennuis d’une chemise de tennis qui remonte en jouant, qui rétrécít au premier lavage et jaunit rapidement. Mais voici, enfin, une chemise bien étu- diée et parfaitement au point. Les Etablis. André GILLIER ont l’honneur de vous présenter la chemise LACOSTE. Ils attirent votre attention sur l’usage qui ten- drait à s’établir d’appeler Chemise LA COSTE différents types de chemises de sport plua ou moins ressemblantes à un modèle spé- cialement créé suivant les indications de M. René Lacoste, pour son usage personnel, et protégée par le dépôt de la marque « Chemise LACOSTE », Les Etablissements André GILLIER se sont assuré l’exclusivité de la fabrication et de la vente dans le monde entier des chemises créées par M. René Lacoste et mises au point par M. André Gillier. Ces chemises sont garanties absolument irrétrécissables; elles existent en différents tissus, depuis le coton en sakel peigné jus- qu’en soie albène, en passant par le lin et une laine de tout premier choix.
1934 ADAM CHEMISIER
1934 Famous Lacoste first advertisement. Already marked in the top right corner
Hurry, Jamieson B. and Warren R. Dawson. The Woad Plant and its Dye. London, Oxford University Press: H. Milford, 1930. Crerar Library
1934 sera le couronnement du règne de la chemisette véritablement Sport. En effet les Etablissements André Gillier viennent de s’assurer le concours et le parrainage du fameux créateur des chemisettes à manches courtes, M. René Lacoste.
Avec sa collaboration M. André Gillier vient de mettre au point la seule chemise de sport ayant le droit de se dénommer « Chemise Lacoste». Nous en présentons deux modèles (à gauche et à droite de la photographie ci-dessus). Entre autres avantages, la longueur a été augmentée pour obvier au défaut d’une chemise sortant du pantalon si bien que la Chemise « Lacoste» reste à sa place malgré les mouvements les plus violents. Son col à bord côtes, de forme spécialement étudiée, est d’un maintien absolument impeccable qui épouse parfaitement la forme du cou. Différent des cols chemisiers, il ne se déforme plus et donne à ces chemises un aspect très sportif.
Garanties absolument irrétrécissables, ces chemises permettent, grâce aư progrès de la teinture de garantir bon teint les coloris les plus vifs. «L’e alligator» symbolique garantit l’origine de la véritable chemise « Lacoste» qui se fait dans tous les tissus depuis le Sakel Peigné jusqu’à la soie mate en passant par le lin et une laine de tout premier choix. Inutile d’ajouter que les Etablissements André Gillier restent fidèles à leur production « Jil» et que cette année la recherche des matières leur permet de mettre pour la première fois sur le marché, des articles en ļin tricoté, très frais à la peau, et une soie mate, à fines rayures, imitant à la perfection le tissu chemisier. Toutes ces créations sont le complément des modèles classiques qui ont fait le renom mondial de cette Maison.
What can be read from these two articles.
■ In 1933, André Gillier and René Lacoste signed a licence agreement.
■ The company entered the polo shirt market in earnest in 1934.
■ The most important thing was the guarantee of a shrink-proof finish (it was probably taken for granted that they would shrink).
■ The first choice of material was wool.
■ Other fabrics were made from carded Sakell cotton, silk and linen.
■ Alligator logo.
■ Polo shirts of this period were commonly known in France as ‘Chemise Lacoste’ (Lacoste shirt).
■ Unlike the current L1212, this shirt has three buttons.
■ The shirt was designed to be long so that it did not extend beyond the trousers.
■ The ribbed collar is comfortable to wear and seems to suck in the neck.
■ High-waisted pantyhose are a common style.
Adam 1934/05/15
LES CHEMISES DE SPORT
Nous trouvons une preuve également dans l’interwiew qu’a bien voulu nous accorder M. Pierre Apfel, vice-président de la Chambre syndicale des Fabricants de cravates, de foulards et cache-nez en gros de Paris. Voici sa réponse: « Puisque vous me demandez mon avis sur le port de la chemisette dite Lacoste et sa répercussion sur la vente de la cravate, voici mon opinion : Oui, je suis partisan de cette chemisette dont les avantages ne sont plus à énumérer, surtout pendant la belle saison. Aller à l’encontre de cette mode et essayer de revenir l’été, par la chaleur, aux chemises empesées, cols hauts et durs et chapeau haut de forme, serait un effort publicitaire stérile et un non-sens. « Mais ce qu’il faut faire, c’est empêcher de tomber dans le débraillé de la tenue. Mode et bon goût marchent de pair. S’il n’est pas heurté, l’œil s’habitue à la nouveauté ; voyez l’exemple de la mode féminine qui se transforme presque à chaque saison, et, avouons, que, si au début du lancement d’une tendance, nous reconnaitre bientôt que c’est « chic », non pas par snobisme, mais par le goût, l’harmonie, la manière de porter la toilette dont la femme française a le secret. Il en est de même pour la mode masculine ; une chemisette sourions, nous devons Ps A bien coupée, au col tombant bien, d’un coloris harmonisé à l’ambiance, ne la chemisette du débardeur par exemple. Oui, chemisette, mais. Et de la tenue. mais au repas, à l’étape. cravate dans votre poche. voilà convenable. Vous me demandezs Faut-il une formespéciale de cravate, un tissu spécial, un genre spécial pour porter sur cette chemisette ?
In fact, the second half of this special feature already includes information on polo shirts from manufacturers other than Lacoste. By this time, polo shirts had become commonplace as a casual, rather than a sports shirt. It is already mentioned as a suitably classy outfit without a tie. The enlarged photo of the material also shows that mesh knitting had also become common. Let us now trace the popularity of polo shirts prior to 1933, when Lacoste signed the contract.
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1933
French Academy actor and singer Maurice Chevalier. Wearing a polo shirt in Yotting (possibly an Australian beach).
On the golf course. It seems that polo shirts were already common in the world of golf.
Special feature, February 1993. Short-sleeved shirts may have been called polo shirts and long-sleeved shirts tennis.
Polo shirts, which enjoyed a huge boom in 1932, would continue to be in vogue in 1933.
It is noteworthy that the term polo shirt was already used in this period.
[Postscript] Advertisement from July 1933, one month after the contract between Lacoste and Gillier. A cotton polo shirt is already presented. Since it was the dawn of polo shirts, it is unclear whether they were knitted or woven (probably woven), but it seems that there were already types made of cotton.
1932
Adam 1932-02-15 Mediterranean uniforms in the Riviera sun
- Usual combination: white trousers and a coloured knitted shirt. In this case, the shirt should not be too dark. Favourite shades are red, blue and yellow, depending on skin and hair colour. It was an Englishman (writing note Edward VIII?) who unconsciously taught me this combination. was. Nevertheless, basque velette is very suitable but optional. Very popular combination: navy shirt and grey flannel trousers. We also recommend dark sandals, which are made in two very practical shapes and can be found in good shops. A A third combination will surely please you as much as the first one.
2. We hesitated for a long time before deciding to draw these lines, and especially remember that we predicted this happiness would arrive over a year ago… and we recall the horror when hairdressers started cutting women’s hair short. How outraged they were.
3. With the idea of seeing this stunning disappearance. But the new fashion has overcome all sentimental and other obstacles …. It is the same with the men’s fashions we are modifying here … Furthermore, no one is intimidated. On the contrary, we would like to commend the new shirts, first designated as ‘polo shirts’ and decorated with feminine embellishments.
It includes navy blue and grey flannel trousers, matching the light knit shirt. Light colours are known to be particularly suitable for men with darker skin tones. Very popular combination: navy shirt and grey flannel trousers. We also recommend dark sandals, which are made in two very practical shapes and can be found in good shops. A A third combination will surely please you as much as the first one.
Edward VIII, also known as the Duke of Windsor, reigned as the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, as well as the Emperor of India, from January 20, 1936, until his abdication in December of the same year. Born on June 23, 1894, during Queen Victoria’s reign, he was the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary. Edward was designated as the Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday, shortly after his father assumed the throne. During World War I, he served in the British Army and represented his father on various international visits. The Prince of Wales gained popularity due to his charisma and fashion sense, becoming an icon of the time. However, his behavior raised concerns when he engaged in a series of extramarital affairs that troubled both his father and then-Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
Upon his father’s passing, Edward ascended to the throne in 1936 as the second monarch of the House of Windsor. The new king exhibited impatience with royal protocols and caused worry among politicians due to his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Only a few months into his reign, a constitutional crisis emerged when he expressed his desire to marry Wallis Simpson, an American woman who had divorced her first husband and sought a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the union, arguing that a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a potential queen consort. Furthermore, this marriage would have contradicted Edward’s role as the titular head of the Church of England, which, at the time, frowned upon remarriage after divorce if the former spouse was still alive. Aware that the Baldwin government would resign if he proceeded with the marriage, leading to a potential general election and jeopardizing his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch, Edward chose to abdicate. His younger brother, George VI, succeeded him as king. Edward’s reign lasted only 326 days, making him one of the shortest-reigning British monarchs in history.
After his abdication, Edward was granted the title Duke of Windsor. He married Wallis Simpson in France on June 3, 1937, following the finalization of her second divorce. That same year, the couple embarked on a visit to Nazi Germany, which fueled rumors of Edward’s sympathy towards the Nazi regime. During World War II, Edward initially served with the British Military Mission in France but was later appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas after France fell. After the war, Edward spent the remainder of his life in France. He and Wallis remained married until his death in 1972, and they did not have any children.
1931
‘Sport shirts have undergone a major change. Freer and looser. More fitted and flexible. Brighter colours. Knitwear with a woven back collar’, and the content tells us that polo shirts are the latest fashion.
Jean Patou
Jean Patou (27 September 1887 – 8 March 1936) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Jean Patou brand. Patou was born in Paris, France, in 1887. Patou’s family business was leather tanning. Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy before moving to Paris in 1910 to become a couturier; in 1912, he opened a small dress salon called ‘Maison Parry’; all of his 1914 collection was purchased by an American buyer. After World War I, Patou reopened his dormant couture house in 1919 and became known for designing sportswear for women with longer skirts and without the flapper style, and was credited as the inventor of the knitted swimming costume and tennis skirt He is also known as the inventor of the knitted swimsuit and the tennis skirt. He is particularly famous for designing sleeveless and knee-length cut tennis wear for Suzanne Lenglen, which was fashionable at the time. He was also the first designer to popularise the cardigan, moving fashion towards a more natural and comfortable look.
It is also worth noting that JIL, the mother company of LACOSTE, also exports. Zephyr Jacquard weave, so still a woven shirt.
1930
“Shirt for the sea.” The “Lacoste shirt” is a very compact jersey type, combining the advantages of a normal shirt and a pullover. It has a precisely moulded chest and short sleeves above the elbow, with three buttons that can be closed or open.”
The term shirt for the sea first appeared in fashion magazines in 1930. Short-sleeved shirt in jersey material and pullover (featured in St. Didier = Parisian sports shop). The name “La Chemise Lacoste” (Lacoste shirt) is also used.
Gustav Baehr / Grand Garage Saint Didier
Gustav Baehr, an important figure for Citroën in France, was a military driver and founder of the first taxi company in Paris, but in 1909 he acquired the distribution rights for the French car manufacturer Delahair and set up a car dealership in the 16th arrondissement of Paris called Saint Didier Automobiles. In 1909, he acquired the distribution rights to the French car manufacturer Delahair and set up a car dealership in the 16th arrondissement of Paris called Saint Didier Automobiles. Unfortunately, the distribution rights with Delahair were severed during the First World War, when Paris was temporarily cut off from economic activity, but were subsequently taken over by the American companies Chrysler and Lincoln. “Willys-Knight”, and expanded his sales network to Vienna, Warsaw and Berlin.
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In 1928 he also opened a luxury car rental company, tennis courts and a sports shop. In 1934, Citroën was granted exclusive rights to sell Lockheed hydraulic brakes in France. In 1934, Citroën launched its revolutionary car, the TYPE 7A. The idea for the front-wheel drive system and the provision of four-wheel hydraulic brakes came from a US-made car supplied by Gustave to André Citroën.
Jean-Jules Lacoste, father of René Lacoste, was then manager of Hispano France, the French subsidiary of the Spanish luxury car company Hispano Suiza. He later became a major player in the manufacture of aircraft engines for the French army. The company would later grow into a major player, making aircraft engines for the French military. Sports magazines of the time treated car racing as a sporting event, so it was commonplace for horse riding and tennis to be linked to car dealerships.
In this year, polo shirts in their current form for women and children were apparently beginning to penetrate the USA first.
So when did Lacoste invent the polo shirt?
~1930
In 1930 she married women’s professional golfer Simone Thion de la Chaume; made a brief comeback at the 1932 French Championships, defeating Wimbledon champion Sydney Wood in the third round, but losing to Harry Lee in the fourth round; in 1932 and 1933 He was non-playing captain of the French Davis Cup team. After this, he set up a joint venture with André Giillier in 1933.
1929
Championships, where he won his seventh and final Grand Slam singles title in a close five-set match against Jean Borotra In 1929, he retired from tennis due to deteriorating health conditions, including respiratory problems, and in 1929, he played in the French Championships, winning his first Grand Slam singles title in a five-set match against Jean Borotra In 1929, he retired from tennis due to deteriorating health conditions, including a respiratory illness
1928
In 1928, at the French Championships, Lacoste lost the title after losing the final against Cochet in four sets. Lacoste defeated Tilden in five sets in the semi-finals before gaining revenge by defeating Cochet in the final of the Wimbledon Championships.The 1928 Davis Cup Challenge Round against the USA was played at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris on 27-29 July. The stadium was built to host France’s first defence of the Davis Cup. Lacoste lost the first rubber to Tilden in a five-set match, but France defeated the remaining rubbers 4-1 to retain the Davis Cup. Lacoste did not compete in the 1928 US Championships.
1927
In 1927, in what was described by E. Digby Balzell as ‘the greatest year in tennis history’, Lacoste, as part of the French team, won the Davis Cup in the USA, ending a six-year title reign. The final was played at Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia, where Lacoste defeated Bill Johnston and Bill Tilden in the singles. He played Tilden twice in the finals of Grand Slam tournaments that year, winning both. At the French Championships he won in five sets, and at the US Championships he lost set points in the first and third sets and went a break down in the second, but won in straight sets to deny Tilden his seventh US title. At Wimbledon, Tilden lost in five sets to Borotra in the semi-finals, his second consecutive year at number one in the rankings.
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It is believed that he wore what is called the prototype polo shirt for the first time in this year. (Around July 1927 if the date of the photo is correct?)
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1926
In 1926, René Lacoste lost the French title after losing in straight sets in the final to Henri Cochet. He did not compete at Wimbledon, but did win the National Championships in September, defeating Jean Borotra (6-4,6-0,6-4). The first time he won the title, he was the first player to win the title. Ranked No. 1 in 1926 by A. Wallis Myers, tennis correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.
1925
Lacoste’s first victory in a four major championships came at the 1925 Wimbledon Championships. He also won the French Championships (now the French Open) for the first time that year. From that year onwards, the French Championships became an international tournament, and non-French players were eligible to compete (Currently, the records of pre-1924 French Open winners do not count towards the official winning record.)
1924
1922-1923
At the 1922 Wimbledon Championships, she lost in the first round to Pat O’Harewood.
The following year, 1923, he played in the fourth round at Wimbledon, narrowly losing to Cecil Campbell, and made his first appearance at the National Championships.
He became a member of the French Davis Cup team and joined Cochet, Borotra and Brunion as one of the ‘Four Musketeers’.
What can be determined from the timeline.
■ Polo shirts appeared around 17 May 1927 Davis Cup (against Romania).
■ Lacoste himself used short-sleeved shirts from his Davis Cup debut.
■ Long sleeves and jumpers are also essential in tennis because of the long season.
■ Lacoste used short-sleeved button shirts from 1927 onwards.
■ In 1927, he wore a three-button shirt; in 1928, a one-button shirt.
■ Can be seen worn until 1932. (What was he wearing in the meantime?)
■ If the date in the photographic record is correct, Bunny Austin (UK) also wore it in 1928 (three buttons).
■ No one-pointed crocodile markings during the players’ period.
This means that the polo shirt was developed by Lacoste if this shirt form existed before 1927. The story that the polo shirt was developed by Lacoste is no longer valid.
Let’s take a look at a picture of the International Polo Tournament in Berlin, which took place in the same year, 1927
July 1927 / Berlin Polo Club during a international polo tournament in Berlin
August 1927 / The Polo Monthly
Polo at Meadowbrook Captain Devereux Milburn 1927
Devereux Milburn (September 19, 1881 – August 15, 1942) was an American champion polo player in the early to mid twentieth century. He was one of a group of Americans known as the Big Four in international polo, winning the Westchester Cup six times. He is “remembered as possibly the best polo player this country ever produced.”[3] His given name has been alternatively spelled as “Devereaux” in some publications. wiki
Now let’s rewind time a little more. This is a picture from the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Polo was chosen as an official event at these Games. This is a picture of the England team at that Olympics.
In 1924. Commemorative photograph of the polo winning team at the British King’s Coronation Cup. It shows the polo shirts already completed.
Polo final for King ‘s Coronation Cup The winning team, Eastcott. 12 July 1924.
Polo final for King ‘s Coronation Cup The winning team, Eastcott. 12 July 1924.
At Ranelagh the King’s Coronation Cup final was won by Eastcott (winners of both the Hurlingham Champion Cup and Ranelagh Open Cup this year) from the i7th/2ist Lancers team by 8 goals.
Published: Saturday 19 July 1924
Newspaper: Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
County: London, England
Coronation Cup winners from Eastcott. Completely in the form of a polo shirt (knitted short sleeves).
The Polo Monthly 1922
Polo shirts, which appear to have been short-sleeved jersey-type shirts, appear to have already appeared in 1922.
[Conclusion] Lacoste is not considered to be the originator of the polo shirt.
■ Polo shirts are still shirts for polo.
■ Polo players have been using collared shirts, which are believed to have been designed by Lacoste, for some time.
■ They existed at least as early as 1924.
■ The cotton piqué polo shirt may have been invented by André Gillier (Lacoste).
■ Polo players have been using collared shirts, which are believed to have been designed by Lacoste, for some time.
■ They existed at least as early as 1924.
■ The cotton piqué polo shirt may have been invented by André Gillier (Lacoste).
Attached below are all group photographs of football and rugby football teams from around the world from 1900 to the 1930s. If a football jersey is made with short sleeves, it is a prototype for a polo shirt, so someone somewhere will probably think of something similar, apart from the material used.
England discarded their buttoned-down collars in the early twenties and reverted back to their traditional shirt design with four buttons down the front.
England football shirt from 1911
1899 Four Irish Oldest Rugby Kit
AUSTRALIA JERSEY, 1920S
1924 Williams et Cie football JERSEY
Catalogue Roger Roujean; 1933. Commissions