Lacoste Born: Tennis Champion Who Invented the Polo Shirt

René Lacoste dominated tennis in the 1920s as one of France's legendary "Four Musketeers" and then revolutionized sportswear by inventing a garment that changed how the world dressed. Born on July 2, 1904, in Paris, he was the son of a wealthy automobile manufacturer who initially opposed his interest in tennis. Lacoste won seven Grand Slam singles titles between 1925 and 1929, including two French Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, and two U.S. Open titles. He earned the nickname "the Crocodile" for his tenacious playing style, and the American press used "alligator" interchangeably, a confusion that was never fully resolved. He retired from competitive tennis at age 24 due to health problems, including respiratory issues that plagued him throughout his life. His second career proved equally influential. Dissatisfied with the stiff, long-sleeved dress shirts that tennis players were required to wear, Lacoste designed a short-sleeved, loosely knit cotton shirt with an unstarched, flat protruding collar, a ribbed collar that could be turned up to protect the neck from sun, and a longer back tail to keep the shirt tucked in during play. He called it the polo shirt and embroidered a small crocodile logo on the breast, one of the first examples of a visible brand logo on an outer garment. The shirt was initially produced for personal use and for fellow tennis players, but Lacoste recognized its commercial potential and began manufacturing it in partnership with André Gillier, a French knitwear manufacturer, in 1933. The Lacoste polo shirt became a global fashion staple that transcended its sporting origins, worn by presidents, movie stars, and millions of ordinary people worldwide. Lacoste died on October 12, 1996, at age 92.