CROC AROUND THE CLOCK: Lacoste is rounding out its 90th anniversary celebrations by looking to the past and the future.
The French brand is unveiling an eight-piece capsule created in collaboration with Maison Lemarié, the Chanel-owned specialist atelier, to be exhibited at its Lacoste Arena flagship store in Paris from Nov. 27.
It is also continuing the real-world tour that concluded with a Paris Fashion Week pop-up with a jaunt in The Sandbox’s virtual gaming world, launching Thursday.
Both projects “perfectly embody [a] brand which skillfully combines heritage and ultra-modernity,” deputy chief executive officer Catherine Spindler told WWD.
Throughout its anniversary year, the brand “wanted to pay tribute and meet the communities that make the brand and bring it to life,” she said. “The universes of our communities are as different as our territories of expression, which is completely in line with our brand mission to connect cultures.”
The one-off pieces crafted by Maison Lemarié range from a polo shirt with threads trailing off a flurry of multicolored crocodiles and a sequined sweatshirt to a pleated tennis skirt.
After being exhibited in Paris, the pieces will be added to the brand’s patrimony and will later be showcased in other locations around the world.
Spindler said the anniversary year highlighted the brand’s strength and impact in culture as well as fashion, noting Lacoste was “managing to retain our historic clientele while engaging new generations with us.”
Its digitally savvy fans can consider the immersive digital experience as a reward, according to Benjamin Blamoutier, Lacoste’s vice president of global brand and customer experience. He said it was “only natural” to reward them after a year of celebration centered on its communities.
Until Dec. 7, players can explore the Lacoste island, a “home of the legendary crocodile tribes” that will include locales such as Paris, Tokyo, São Paolo and a golf-themed area for winning prizes. Digital goodies will also be available from the game’s marketplace.
The Sandbox’s chief executive officer and cofounder Arthur Madrid said the partnership symbolized “a fusion of timeless tradition and cutting-edge innovation.”
Lacoste had eased into the metaverse with the 2022 launch of NFTs as part of a project titled Undw3.
Looking to 2024, the brand will pursue its historical sporting roots, particularly in tennis, and its fashion mien, leaning into its “iconicity and crocodile [mascot], French know-how, inventiveness and creativity,” according to Spindler.
Among its focuses will be the development of its “high-potential categories, such as women’s, footwear and fragrance, with the launch of a new line,” she said.
Late in 2022, the French brand and Interparfums SA inked a 15-year perfume license that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Interparfums has said that next year its focus will in part be devoted to Lacoste, as commercial activity begins for selected lines and a new men’s collection is launched for the brand.
