Moustache Johnny
For the last 85 years, French brand Lacoste has been known by one of the most iconic logos a tennis shirt could hold. The globally recognized Crocodile has been the top of the food chain for the brand most famous on the tennis court since its debut in the 1930s. For the first time ever, the iconic croc is sharing the spotlight with some worthy members of the Animal Kingdom. This year Lacoste has teamed up with IUCN’s SOS ( Save Our Species) – a nature conservation charity- for a limited edition collection of polo shirts.
The tees have logos of endangered animal species instead of the green Crocodile and were launched on the runway during the brand’s show at last year’s Paris Fashion Week. The species are the California condor, the saola, the Sumatran tiger, the Anegada ground iguana, the vaquita, the Burmese roofed turtle, the northern sportive lemur, the Javan rhino, the Cao-vit gibbon, and the kakapo. “For the endangered species of this world, the crocodile abandons its ancestral place,” said Lacoste, who had previously never changed their green croc since its debut 85 years ago.”
Save Our Species!
The new, limited edition logos were produced using the same green coloring and embroidery style as the Crocodile. Each of the ten designs were produced in limited numbers, corresponding to the remaining population size of each species in the wild. For example, just 350 polos were produced featuring the Sumatran Tiger, whose main threats are poaching and deforestation. The smallest batch—at just 30 pieces—features the California porpoise, who, due to overfishing, is one of the most threatened mammal species ever.
The profits from each of the 1,175 $185 Save Our Species will be donated to the IUCN conservation. The entire offering of pieces in the collection has already sold out, but those still wishing to contribute can visit the Save Our Species website and make a donation there.
Photos via Lacoste
