René Lacoste

René Lacoste Synopsis

What do we know about René Lacoste? That he was a French tennis legend, the founder of the Lacoste brand, and a remarkable inventor? Lacoste (1904–1996) was an elegant player with an acute sense of fair play, a demanding designer who revolutionized sports apparel, and a passionate engineer who invented the first tubular steel tennis racket.

From the tennis court to the golf course, accompanied by family members or friends made along the way, the man called “the Alligator” was a determined visionary with an eye for authenticity and detail. René Lacoste remains to this day a timeless yet remarkably contemporary fashion icon. Published to celebrate the Lacoste brand’s 85th anniversary, this lavishly illustrated work includes a wealth of photographs and archival documents, some published here for the first time, and original drawings by the renowned French illustrator Floc’h.