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MEMORIES:

PHOTOS:

French tennis star Rene Lacoste was known at “Le crocodile” because of the shape of his nose. When he showed up to play with a little green embroidered croc sewn on his tennis whites in 1934, he was about to unleash a status symbol for the suburban upper class that looked at leisure as the lifestyle of choice.

 

Golf and tennis became popular in the 50s, and Lacoste’s short sleeved knitted polo shirts embraced the lifestyle. The look was originally worn by polo players, and featured a roll-down collar that stayed down flat, rather than blowing around in the wind. In 1969, General Mills bought the licensing rights, and moved the manufacturing from France to Hong Kong. They also broadened the product base, placing the crocodile logo on status-based items like watches, luggage, and sports clothing. The quality of the merchandise began to suffer and production standards fell.

 

The preppy look of the 80s reinvigorated the Izod line and it’s tone of upward mobility. 80s preppies and Valley dudes took to flipping the collar up, and it’s sturdy design defied gravity. The logo also began to be mistaken for an alligator – an obvious mistake, when you have to identify the animal by a tiny, embroidered logo.

 

The iconic style has stayed almost identical to the original design. Manufacturing quality has been improved, and the croc has once again taken it’s place among the status symbols of the leisure class.