The Lacoste Sneaker Legacy: A History of Sports Elegance

Ever since launching in 1933, have pioneered modern tennis apparel with the iconic polo, and their expanding success has never faulted – on or off the court – thanks to their ability to steadily balance athletic performance and style. This approach then transferred to their sneaker line, which launched in 1958 with the debut René and continues on today with the sleek and modern . The tenniswear titans have incorporated their sartorial elegance into every model, and if sports performance shoes were one side of a tennis court and casual sneakers were on the other, Lacoste are hitting aces on both. To mark the release of the Neo Shot, we’re exploring the French brand’s footwear history and tracking down how they went from a modest canvas tennis shoe to sophisticated fashion-forward bangers.

Origins of an Icon

With the dynamic athletes and intense, fast-paced play of professional tennis today, it’s hard to imagine what the sport was like 100 years ago in the days of country clubs and culottes. But that’s where the story of one of the most iconic brands in the sport begins. The place: France. The player: René Lacoste, a tennis renaissance man. Actually, the tennis renaissance man. By the time he turned 30, his achievements on the court included being named the number one tennis player in the world multiple times and taking home eight Grand Slam victories, a Bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics, and Davis Cup wins with Team France in 1927 and 1928.

However, the reason the name Lacoste is well known today isn’t simply because of René’s on-court achievements a century ago, but also because he was just as innovative in sports fashion as he was at playing the game. In 1933, Lacoste co-founded his own tennis apparel brand with André Gillier, which was headlined by the garment that changed everything: the tennis polo. Doing away with the stuffy and restrictive garments of tennis tradition, Lacoste introduced his revolutionary short-sleeved shirt, which soon became the standard worn by pros and amateurs on clay, concrete and grass courts everywhere. Along with its modern look came the iconic crocodile stitched on the chest, which was actually the first ever brand logo used on the outside of clothing. The logo is an ode to René’s nickname, ‘The Crocodile’, which was given to him after his team captain promised a crocodile leather suitcase if he won a match in Boston in 1923. He didn’t win, but the story and René’s well-known tenacity on the court prompted a journalist to endearingly bestow the nickname upon him and it soon did the global rounds and stuck. Reptilian mascot in tow, the tennis polo became one of the most iconic garments in fashion history, first on the court and then eventually for casual wear.

1958: Lacoste Footwear Enters the Match

Fast forward to 1958 and not content with only producing the best tennis apparel on the market, Lacoste decided to break into footwear with a performance tennis shoe: the René. The design featured a low-profile silhouette with herringbone cotton canvas uppers atop a slim vulcanised rubber sole. Extra ventilation was added via a series of metal eyelets on the medial side at the arch area, and the toothy croc logo could be found moulded into the grippy outsole. Its most technical detail was the rubber toe cap, which improved its durability on the court while also adding another style dimension. The René was a formidable on-court sneaker in its time, and it set the blueprint for the brand’s sporty and elegant footwear design language.

1980s: Lacoste Sneakers In Full Swing

After the René, Lacoste continued producing top-tier tennis sneakers into the 1980s, when the brand’s on-court footwear offerings really came into prominence. Lacoste lasered in on sporty and functional tennis shoes that were stylish enough to wear casually off the court. The quintessential mid-80s Lacoste model is the Ardeur, a clean and simple tennis shoe that’s an obvious descendent of the René. The 1985 model featured a derby cut constructed in soft and supple calfskin leather, along with an unlined upper for reduced weight, a removable three-component insole for cushion and flexibility, and a low-density polyurethane injected midsole above the grippy rubber outsole.

Reflecting the innovations of sports performance footwear of the time, Lacoste started serving up more technical models like the by the late 80s. A training sneaker with a supportive cross-strap at the forefoot and EVA foam cushioning, the Missouri has stood the test of time (like the René and Ardeur) and has been reissued multiple times since its initial run – in 2006, it was even the canvas for the very first Sneaker Freaker colab! Other Lacoste models of note from the 80s include the Echo and Flash from 1987 and the Idaho, Indiana, and Madison from 1989.

1990s: The Best of Both Worlds

By the end of the 1990s, Lacoste had a solid two-pronged attack in the sneaker industry. In addition to producing performance footwear for the court, the brand also introduced their first casual-specific sneaker line. For the on-court side, the footwear was highlighted by the LT (‘Lacoste Tennis’) series of models like the LT120 and 121. These were featured designs with anti-slip soles, rubber ventilation windows on the leather uppers, and TPU foam midsoles that provided ample comfort for even the longest matches. On the other side, Lacoste's casual line kept things more timeless and traditional, with sleek silhouettes like the Portofino and Baseline that clearly called back to the graceful simplicity of the René.

With a focus on offering both performance and casual sneakers in the 90s, Lacoste demonstrated their ability to thrive at the crossroads of sport and fashion and their footwear lines continue to reflect this ethos to the present day.

From 2000 to L003

While continuing to produce performance footwear for tennis, Lacoste leaned into fashion-forward aesthetics in the early 2000s and began producing even more footwear for casual wear. Many of the releases during this time combined performance and fashion with chunky yet streamlined silhouettes, like the Hurricane, which was produced in classic white leather as well as a strictly casual nubuck construction. In this era, Lacoste also released hiking-boot-inspired models like the Rambla, as well as techy running-inspired curiosities like the Hero from 2002.

Now in the 2020s, Lacoste have emphasised their fashion footwear with the L001, L002 and L003 franchises. The latest entry in the series is the L003 Neo Shot, a model that once again illustrates Lacoste’s ability to create a sneaker that matches style trends while also honouring their rich performance heritage and retaining a timeless design. The Neo Shot is bold yet refined; sporty yet chic. The running-inspired silhouette is constructed in multiple materials that provide a lively blend of textures to keep things interesting. Airy sandwich mesh is layered under glossy synthetic overlays with perforations and line motifs, and it's all topped off with a nubuck toecap for one more touch of refinement. Below sits an oversized sole unit that’s demanding but still streamlined, as it features a thick EVA foam midsole and one piece rubber outsole with anti-skid picots that provide extra grip and adventurous flair. And to do the Neo Shot full justice, Lacoste opted for a powerful palette, including a head-turning lime.

From the simple René in 1958 to the L003 Neo Shot almost 70 years later, Lacoste’s sneaker heritage runs deep. Throughout the decades of performance and lifestyle designs, the brand has always stayed true to its founder’s ability to stay on the cutting edge of sport and style.