Lacoste

Lacoste is a French apparel company. They sell clothing, footwear, perfume and eyewear. The company is easily recognized by its green crocodile logo. Although they produce a portion of their clothing line in France, they delegate production of international clothing in numerous factories around the world, including those found in Peru and Morocco.

Lacoste is headquartered in Paris, France.

History

René Lacoste, a famous French tennis player invented the Lacoste tennis shirt in 1929 and in 1933, he and André Gillier founded the company. While winning the 1926 U.S. Open championship, Rene Lacoste of France wore something that he himself had created: a white, short-sleeve shirt made exclusively of French cotton pique, the perfect fabric for wicking away moisture in the dog days of American summers. The shirt was a radical departure from tennis fashion of the day, which called for stiff, starchy, long-sleeve oxfords. A year later, the American press dubbed Lacoste "Le Crocodile" for his tenacious on-court demeanor during the Davis Cup matches. By 1933, mass production of Rene's shirt began, and the now-immortal crocodile applique was added. It is believed to be the first time a logo appeared on the outside of a garment.

Genuine products

A genuine Lacoste polo shirt can be be distinguished from a counterfeit from the following:

• "Mother of pearl" buttons - buttons made out of mother of pearl and are exclusive to genuine Lacoste shirts. Since mother of pearl is a naturally occuring substance, no two buttons should be exactly the same in appearance. These buttons should be devoid of any lettering or logos.
• In polo shirts for men, the crocodile is embroidered on a patch then sewn onto the shirt, not directly printed on the shirt. In polo shirts for women, it is printed onto the shirt.
• Tag is included with a genuine code instead of a generic one. (The generic one is usually 8558.)
• The size is always a number (European sizes 34, 36, 38 etc.) not a letter (S, M, L) and is on the same tag with the logo and brand name.
• The crocodile logo on a fake Lacoste is nearly level with the bottom stitching of the placket. However, on a genuine shirt the crocodile is half-way between the 2nd button and the stitching.
• The real Lacoste crocodile logo is very detailed. It will be stitched on with high-quality thread and have clear colours and lines. On a real logo, the claws are visible and the tail is rather thin and ends in a pointy tip. The fake logos usually have rounded paws, super-wide mouths and a fatter tail that ends in a blunt tip.

Do not be fooled: Almost ALL shirts being sold on Ebay are cheap knockoffs. The best way to find authentic sellers is to look for ones not selling a large quantity of merchandise. Since these shirts are not mass-produced, any seller claiming to have acquired them wholesale or in bulk is lying. Of course, buying directly from a boutique is the easiest way to know that your shirt is 100% authentic.

Source

• Lacoste Website
• Lacoste USA Website
• eBay forums: How to spot Lacoste fakes
• How to tell if your Lacoste is a fake