Lacoste Heritage: Catherine Pietri's top 10 favourites
Catherine Pietri joined Lacoste more than thirty years ago, and suggested the creation of the ‘Heritage’ department in 2008. Since then, the head of archives and her team have inventoried and showcased thousands of Lacoste pieces, from items of clothing all the way to accessories, without forgetting works of art. The Head of Heritage takes us through her top 10, in chronological order. The head of heritage shares her top 10 with us.
Catherine Pietri, Director of Heritage at Lacoste
Two pieces by René Lacoste
"One is a replica of the blazer René Lacoste wore when he first took to the tennis courts, and the other is one of his first polo shirt. These two pieces epitomise not only the founder of the brand, but also the history of the logo. His white tennis outfit, a standard feature of the 1920s, stood out from the rest thanks to the crocodile embroidered on his blazer, an idea of his friend Robert George that illustrated the player's nickname and that was to become the first logo to appear on a piece of sportswear. Created a little later, the polo shirt is loaded with emotion. It was one of the first Lacoste polo shirts, an invention by René Lacoste that offered greater freedom of movement and improved resistance to heat, revolutionising the tennis wardrobe. This polo shirt also tells the story of a logo embroidered on the chest that was to become more than famous, and a piece that symbolises the beginning of the brand's industrial and commercial saga"
The photo of René Lacoste and his wife Simone Thion de La Chaume
"I love this image of a chic duo, a couple of champions (Simone Thion de La Chaume was a golf champion). I chose it for the elegance of their outfits, for that immaculate white, but also for the complicity that shines through in their shared glances and smiles."
René Lacoste and Simone Thion de La Chaume at Chantaco, 1936 © Lacoste Family Archives
Robert George's drawings
"Robert George, a stylist by trade, was a close friend of René Lacoste. It's impossible to choose just one of his drawings from the many we found in a loft! Some of them deserve to be in a museum. As the creator of the Lacoste logo, Robert George established all the brand's codes. We even have the original watercolour of the first crocodile he painted in 1927, kept in a vault. The idea of drawing and then embroidering his friend’s nickname on his jacket was quite simply revolutionary..."
Drawings by Robert George, 1930s © Lacoste Archives
The 1975 short-suit
"It’s so modern! It would still be very fashionable today. I love it for its pure white colour as well as its sensual, very feminine open back."
The Lacoste Peugeot 205
“This is one of our latest major acquisitions, a limited edition model produced back in 1984. We were very fortunate to find this very rare model, and especially in such good condition! It's on display at the entrance of the Lacoste Museum in Troyes... and it's very Instagrammable.”
Peugeot 205 Lacoste advertisement, 1985 ©DR
The crocodile brooches
“Created by Boucheron for Lacoste's 80th anniversary, these brooches are based on the design commissioned by René Lacoste as part of a gift project for Simone, his wife. I chose them because they symbolise love and the crocodile on the heart, jewellery style."
Maison Boucheron brooches for Lacoste, 2013 © Lacoste Archives
The polo sculpture by chinese artiste Li Xiao Freng
“This is the most expensive and spectacular Lacoste polo shirt ever made, a work that links Lacoste to the world of art and culture. Presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris on the occasion of the retrospective devoted to fashion designer Dries Van Noten, it is considered by the Belgian designer as a piece that echoes his own creations.”
Porcelain polo shirt sculpture by Li Xiao Freng, 2010 ©DR
The pantsuit from the 2014 Fashion Show
“Ever since Lacoste's first fashion show in 2004, the brand has been playing on the big stage. In 2012, Creative Director Christophe Lemaire took over the reins of the design studio and the creations became increasingly spectacular. I particularly like this look from 2014, which draws its inspiration from René Lacoste's tennis outfit. Its lightness, its transparency, and its chic, despite its obvious sensuality.”
2015 Fashion Show tracksuit
"Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Lacoste's new Creative director, reinterprets the iconic Lacoste tracksuit on the catwalk. This model captures the very essence of the Lacoste spirit and the world of tennis. It's a must-have that I've been looking to buy for a long time."
The polo shirt by Brazilian designers the Campana brothers
"This is an extraordinary piece, both literally and figuratively. Produced in just 12 male and 12 female limited editions, it is hand-stitched in collaboration with Coopa-Roca, an organisation based in the Rocinha favela that provides work opportunities to seamstresses from underprivileged neighborhoods. This polo, with its unique packaging, is reminiscent of the art of lace-making in Northern Brazil. It embodies the essence of the crocodile."
Polo shirt designed by the Campana brothers, 2010 © Lacoste Archives
From yesterday to today
“Pelagia Kolotouros' creations for Lacoste pay tribute to all this heritage, which she interprets brilliantly!"
Pelagia Kolotouros, Lacoste Creative Director
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