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Lacoste

Lacoste is a French high-end clothing company which was originally founded in 1933. It was created by Rene Lacoste, a passionate champion tennis player who won Wimbledon and the French Open amongst others during his sporting career! Renee moved into tennis clothing when he retired from the sport, and his clothing venture was partnered by Andre Gillier, who was the head of France's largest knitwear company in France at that time. Together they launched the now-famous tennis shirt, which became an instant clothing classic - with its small alligator logo actually the first example of a brand name which was used on the outside of a clothing item.

Quite rapidly, Lacoste moved away from the core starched white tennis shirt and began to manufacture other sports specific garments, such as sailing and golf shirts, and in the 1950's, the company moved from the traditional 'tennis whites' to a range of colour shirts. The brand was originally marketed to the USA (now its prime market) as a status symbol for sportsmen, designed to appeal to the upper classes. The brand grew over time and eventually reached a peak of popularity in the 70's, as the look became very preppy, and around 300,000 Lacoste items were sold per annum.

However, even today Lacoste remains a status clothing symbol, with a revival spearheaded by its designer Lemaire, who has created a very modern and high end look for the product ranges. This has led to nearly 50 million Lacoste items being sold in 2005, retailing in over one hundred countries across the world. The company's brand values and design aesthetic are based on its core values of comfort, simple elegance and a sporty feel and view of life. The Lacoste brand has also increasingly become viewed as a high end fashion brand - rather than a sports specific brand, thanks to the company's aggressive marketing strategy, particularly in the USA, and the brand has extended over time to include various lines for womens' fashion as well as mens'.

Lacoste now sells a wide range of high-end unisex clothing, footwear, leather and travel items, fine fragrances, watches and sunglasses - and of course, the famous polo tennis shirts, branded with Lacoste's distinctive logo, depicting the green crocodile. As well as the polo shirts - available in a wide range of seasonal colours and different sleeve lengths and sizes - there is a wide range of shirts, t-shirts and sweaters available, as well as shoes for sports, deck and everyday occasions. The fragrance line has also been highly popular, featuring clean sporty scents and sleek design bottles with silver alligator logos.

The company is still family owned and operated by the Lacoste family, with the operational headquarters situated in Paris. The ubiquitious Proctor & Gamble also have a license for Lacoste's highly successful fragrance range. Manufacturing and production is still carried out primarily in France, although its clothing is also produced in various factories across the world. One of the main non-France production units is located in El Salvador's Miramar Free Trade Zone, and Lacoste carries out its manufacturing for American customers there, via a local subsidiary.

In terms of its retailing and distribution, there are a large number of Lacoste boutiques across the world, and various concession stores in large department stores. There is also a strong online presence in America, offering an even greater range than is available in the shops. A number of other online retailers also sell Lacoste items, making it highly accessible to high end fashion and sports clothing fans everywhere.

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