"Tennis" fans in New York, "vintage" fans in Marseille, Tokyo collectors, Brazilian "Lacosteiros", French Open fans, French rap fans... in 90 years, the crocodile has conquered all corners of the globe. What's at the heart of this elegant sportswear craze? Lacoste polo shirts, tracksuits, tennis skirts, cardigans and sweatshirts. For this exceptional capsule collection, Lemarié, hand in hand with the Lacoste teams, mixed the codes of each community with their powerful pieces in what is an extraordinary exhibition of haute couture. "The Lemarié workshops expressed all their artisanal genius by hand-embroidering emblematic pieces from the Lacoste wardrobe, subliming them and making them eminently desirable," says Philippe Charpentier, Fashion Event Senior Designer at Lacoste. "It's a unique encounter between two of France's greatest fashion houses, Lacoste and the Lemarié art house." Indeed, it is. While Lacoste was founded in 1933 by tennis champion-turned-inventor René Lacoste, Lemarié has been reigning supreme in French craftsmanship since 1880. Its historic, secret techniques in featherwork, artificial flower-making, pleating and sewing have found a new playground in Lacoste: that playground is fashion-sport.

In this collection, the blending of Lacoste's and Lemarié's extensive know-how, heritage and inventiveness is perfectly harmonious. The result? Eight incredibly modern pieces infused with more than a century of expertise.

"For all these models, our workshops drew on their Plumes, Fleurs, Plissé and Couture expertise," says Lemarié General Manager Gwenaëlle Crehalet. "Of course, the polo shirt was selected first as the blank canvas for this project," adds Philippe Charpentier.

But ideas came thick and fast for every piece. From both Lacoste and Lemarié...

Embroidered using vibrant, multicoloured threads, this polo shirt took 105 hours to complete. "Our featherworkers created a real marquetry of feathers to create unique patch patterns. On this model, we even combined our know-how by mixing Couture, Plissé and Plume." Gwenaëlle Crehalet, Lemarié General Manager.

Sprinkled with thousands of sequins on which the faces of employees from the Lacoste house are printed, the "Henri polo shirt pays tribute to the crowds at the French Open.

"This is a re-edition of a 90s model for which fleece from the archives has been specially re-knitted. The emblematic crocodile is reinterpreted in a patchwork of recycled vintage tracksuits." Philippe Charpentier, Fashion Event Senior Designer at Lacoste.

"For this model, Lacoste's idea was to evoke the lights of New York City. These lights were transformed into a multitude of tennis balls, which we made using Cornely embroidery." Gwenaëlle Crehalet, Lemarié General Manager.

"This is a reissue of a cult tracksuit from the 90s. Its crocodile is reinterpreted using an avant-garde technique. It is cut using ultrasound before then being assembled." Philippe Charpentier, Fashion Event Senior Designer at Lacoste.

"To achieve a crocodile visual, our atlier carried out inlay work integrated into a Watteau organza pleat." Gwenaëlle Crehalet, Lemarié General Manager.

From 27th November onwards, all eight extraordinary pieces that were born from the creative effervescence initiated by the colloboration between Lacoste and Lemarié, will be on display at the Lacoste Arena on the Champs Elysées.

Lacoste Arena: 50 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris