Magazine B – Issue 101: Lacoste

A Coffee Table Mags pick for those who see brands as ideas worth understanding — Magazine B has spent 15 years proving that one brand, examined properly, contains everything.

Amid the waves of numerous brands sweeping the globe, Magazine B shares its perspective on well-balanced brands and uses print media to demonstrate the timeless values of individual brands. Defining a well-balanced brand by four standards—beauty, practicality, price, and philosophy—Magazine B offers unique insights and in-depth analysis of one well- balanced brand in one issue every month.

Lacoste, founded in 1933 by French tennis legend René Lacoste, set a new standard for sportswear with the L.12.12, a piqué polo shirt developed to balance on-court performance with style. René’s pursuit of both practicality and a refined aesthetic formed the brand’s identity alongside the iconic crocodile logo, allowing his tennis-rooted designs to naturally integrate into everyday attire. Since then, Lacoste has accumulated contemporary significance as it was reinterpreted across preppy style, street culture, and other diverse cultural currents while expanding its reach into high fashion with runway collections. Today, Lacoste solidifies its presence by carving out a unique space between mega sportswear brands and traditional luxury houses—a position defined by its signature “functional elegance.”