PARIS: French fashion brand Lacoste on Wednesday swapped the crocodile logo on its shirts for the first time in its history for 10 of the most endangered species on the planet.
The green Lacoste crocodile — one of the world’s best-known logos — was replaced by the Sumatran tiger, the Javan rhino and the Cao Vit gibbon on the chest of its classic white polo shirts in a limited edition charity tie-in with the Save Our Species conservation group.
All but a handful were sold out within hours of going on sale for 150 euros ($183) immediately after the brand’s Paris fashion week show.
The number of polo shirts put on sale was directly linked to remaining numbers of each threatened species surviving in the wild — with only 30 for vaquita porpoises and 231 for Californian condors.
Designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista also included camouflaged images of each of the endangered animals in the last 10 looks in his autumn-winter collection.
“I think it is a great thing to do, and feels very gratifying if we can do something for these animals,” he told AFP.
“Lacoste is one of the 10 more recognizable logos in the world with Coca-Cola and Apple.”
The Portuguese designer said he had to be careful about using the crocodile logo — which dates from 1933 — “with respect. I don’t like to plaster it everywhere. Either you be very classic with it or very original, and in this case it’s quite original I think.”
Lacoste’s crocodile logo still features on the back of the 1,775 shirts.
Oliveira Baptista said he took his inspiration for the main collection from the 50,000 trees the Lacoste family planted around their golf course at Saint-Jean-de-Luz in southwest France during World War II.
It was also a way of sparing local men from being sent to German forced labor camps, as forestry workers were exempt from conscription, he said.
The designer had Princess Diana and the English upper classes at play in mind when he began creating the collection, with some models wearing wellingtons with hunting ponchos and boonie sun hats on top of hoodies.
“I got inspired particularly by looking back at pictures of Lady Di: how she wore clothes that were high and low at the same time,” he added.
“I was looking for something timeless, something that would last more than six months.”
Lacoste swaps its crocodile for logos of endangered species
Lacoste swaps its crocodile for logos of endangered species
Arab models share festive red looks for holiday season
- Bella Hadid and others post images on social media
- Stars promote their labels and fashion collaborations
DUBAI: Several Arab models, including Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid Imaan Hammam and Shania Shaik, have been sharing holiday-themed looks on social media, many featuring red tones.
US Dutch Palestinian supermodel Hadid has been promoting holiday gift sets from her fragrance brand Orebella. In one image shared on Instagram, she wears a red off-the-shoulder top paired with denim jeans, accessorized with red boots and red-tinted glasses.
Her holiday sets include the brand’s skin perfume collection, and a travel-size duo featuring Salted Muse and Nightcap.
Nightcap, launched in August, is reportedly a homage to Hadid’s favorite horse from her childhood. The fragrance has been characterized as warm and spicy, with notes of ginger, cardamom and vanilla.
Salted Muse features top notes of sea salt, pink pepper and carbon dioxide extract, followed by heart notes of olive tree accord, fig and lavender. Its base notes include cedarwood, sandalwood and amber.
Bella’s sister, Gigi Hadid, also released a winter collection for her clothing brand Guest in Residence, featuring sweaters, beanies, scarves and socks in seasonal colors.
Meanwhile, Hammam, a Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model, appeared in red as part of a festive campaign for Estee Lauder, a label she has worked with on multiple occasions.
The model shared images from the campaign on Instagram, showing her posing in a red gown alongside Karlie Kloss and Paulina Porizkova, set against oversized holiday decorations and baubles.
Hammam was announced as a global ambassador for the US cosmetics company in 2023.
She spoke about the appointment in a recent interview with Estee Lauder: “This is the most amazing opportunity to represent and empower girls around the world.
“As a Moroccan-Egyptian woman, I am incredibly honored to take on this role with such a long-standing brand that promotes diversity and women’s empowerment in the beauty space.”
Shaik, an Australia-born model of Saudi, Pakistani and Lithuanian descent, also shared festive content with her followers. In one Instagram post captioned “Holiday party season,” she wears a sparkly maroon halter-neck dress with a plunging neckline.
The post took the form of a “get-ready-with-me” carousel, offering a glimpse of the beauty products she used ahead of a holiday event.
