Lacoste is a designer brand known for its iconic polo shirts and sporty aesthetic. While it’s not typically classified as a luxury brand like Gucci or Chanel, it falls within the designer category, offering high-quality fashion with a focus on casual elegance and accessible pricing.
The Key Takeaways
- The fabric of Lacoste’s apparel is top-notch, sturdy, high-quality, and dependable; justifying their higher prices.
- Lacoste is a low-end designer brand, meaning it is accessible and its products are much cheaper than luxury items from Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
- Lacoste is considered an accessible luxury brand, therefore it’s easy to find their items.
- Lacoste t-shirts, including the polos, can go through a thousand wash cycles, but the fabric and color will never fade.
- Lacoste aims to serve more financially stable consumers and strive to achieve a particular status level.
Is Lacoste a Designer Brand?
Yes, Lacoste is a designer brand. It is a French brand that was founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste. The brand is known for its polo shirts, which feature the iconic green crocodile logo. Lacoste is considered a bridge-to-luxury brand, meaning it is more affordable than high-end luxury brands but still has a higher price point than mass-market brands. A polo shirt from Lacoste typically costs around $80.
Lacoste is a popular brand among celebrities and athletes. It is also seen as a status symbol by some people. The brand has a strong association with tennis, and it is often worn by tennis players and fans of the sport. Lacoste is also known for its casual and sporty style. The brand’s products are made with high-quality materials and craftsmanship, and they are often designed with a touch of luxury.
Overall, Lacoste is a well-respected designer brand that is known for its quality, style, and association with luxury. It is a popular choice for people who want to look stylish without spending too much money.
Difference between Luxury and Designer Brands
| Aspect | Luxury Brands | Designer Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Price Range | Very high, often in the thousands or more | High, but generally more accessible than luxury |
| Exclusivity | Highly exclusive, limited production | Less exclusive, wider distribution |
| Heritage | Rich history and heritage | Distinctive style, innovation |
| Materials | Use of rare and high-quality materials | Quality materials, focus on affordability |
| Craftsmanship | Exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail | Good craftsmanship with attention to detail |
| Image | Emphasis on exclusivity and prestige | Stylish, fashionable, and accessible image |
| Target Audience | Elite clientele, often affluent | Wider range of consumers |
| Marketing | Minimal branding, word of mouth, personal service | More visible branding, diverse marketing |
| Fashion Shows | Elaborate and exclusive fashion shows | Prominent fashion shows |
| Examples | Chanel, Hermès, Rolls-Royce | Gucci, Prada, Ralph Lauren |
What Makes Lacoste A Luxury Designer Brand?
The Lacoste brand was created in 1933 by a popular tennis player known as Rene Lacoste. The man was well known for his innovative, sporting, and inventing skills as he took part in revolutionizing tennis shorts and created the first tennis ball machine.
Lacoste has gradually reformed the sportswear look, and because of the nature of tennis, the preppy looks as well. Today, Lacoste sells modern upper-class apparel and is also more into finer sports for any sportsman in the country.
The brand is rooted in ancient traditions and has been catering to the world’s socialites. In 2005, Lacoste redesigned their whole look by reincarnating it into a brand suitable for the modern realm, which escalated its popularity.
The brand offers premium office cotton shirts, tracksuits, and overshirts. You can also find footwear, including loafers and boat shoes, at the retailer.
Although Lacoste sells seasonal collections, the brand may count as accessible luxury. They price their products from $60 to $300. Therefore, the brand aims to serve more financially stable consumers and strive to achieve a particular status level.
Lacoste partners with designers to release high-end collaborative apparel made by the collaborative efforts of both brands on their websites for much more.
Does Lacoste Sell Expensive Items?
A shirt at Lacoste costs $50-$100, while an item of nonluxury clothing will cost $10-$30. So, it is safe to say that Lacoste is expensive compared to other clothing retail stores. Lacoste sells high-quality clothes. The fabric of their apparel is good, reliable, and sturdy.
Their t-shirts, including the polos, can go through a thousand wash cycles for months, but the fabric and color will never fade. Therefore, when deciding whether to buy Lacoste products, you should remember the quality of their clothing makes Lacoste seem cheap in the long run compared to the money used to repurchase clothes.
Lacoste is appealing to most consumers because they are a bridge to luxury. Their clothes have all the advantages of buying luxury brands, including quality, expertise, and style. The brand, however, lacks the burdens that consumers get when buying from luxury brands, including exorbitant prices.
How Does Lacoste Maintain Its High Standards?
As Lacoste is a low-end designer brand, the brand fulfills the vague criteria to be labeled designer. The brand maintains to be a designer brand by selling high-quality apparel.
Their prices are slightly lower than the average retail pricing, and the brand is also synonymous with some affluent lifestyles.
It’s obscure to understand what qualities make a brand a designer, but most of Lacoste’s history as a clothing brand has been based on sports, including tennis and golf. Therefore, the brand’s initial design was meant to cater to these particular audiences, and at the time, the audience mostly consisted of the upper class.
For many years, Lacoste has been selling an image that his company’s clothing design further aids, reflecting the preppy upper-class look. The look is rather distinct and can be recognized by many.
The designs at Lacoste have been heavily drawn with the founder’s input, just like most designer brands, which has contributed to making Lacoste a low-end designer brand. Lacoste takes after popular brands like Gucci and Versace, which is named after the original designer. The founder has a unique style distinct enough for clients to find it within the label.
Is Lacoste A Streetwear Brand?
Over the years, the brand has expanded immensely and collaborated with some of the most popular designers to make consumers’ perception of their athletic wear casual. Additionally, most clothes have become more casual since the 60s, and Lacoste has made major strides in transforming to become an athleisure brand, categorizing it as a type of streetwear.
Today the brand includes creative street stylists who use Lacoste materials to make contemporary clothes for contemporary looks; therefore, the brand is seemingly finding a streetwear rebirth.
Although Lacoste sells streetwear, the brand also continues to produce athletic wear. Lacoste has various sportswear ambassadors who are well-known for their performance in various sports. Most of their apparel, including polo shirts and dresses, are manufactured from 100%cotton.
The brand also uses nylon and jersey, making their clothes breathable while ensuring maximum movement.
How Much Does Lacoste Bags Cost?
Lacoste sells a wide range of bags, including roomy totes for compacting shoulder bags. Their bags are designed for any daily activity. The brand uses leather, nylon, and canvas to produce its bags. The price of Lacoste bags is quite affordable as bags range from $100 to $300.
Classic totes are some of the brand’s most popular bags. Lacoste totes are popular because they provide sufficient space and leave no misused space for the wearer, such as random pockets with no depth. Moreover, most of Lacoste’s bags have countless five-star online reviews.
Although you will find many fake Lacoste bags in the market, you can still distinguish between a fake and an original by checking the packaging. Also, you need to be aware of online and street merchants who sell fake products to online buyers.
Ensure that you buy a Lacoste product from their official website or a certified retailer. The inside stitching of the bag will also tell you if the bag is fake or original, as a counterfeit manufacturer will skimp on the details.
Conclusion
So, is Lacoste a designer brand? Lacoste is a low-end designer brand with a rich history. The brand has a consistent style and has maintained an upscale fashion. Lacoste items are much cheaper than most luxury items from famous designers; therefore, the brand can be labeled a premium designer label that sells quality products.
Reference: https://roguechivalry.com/is-lacoste-a-luxury-brand-affordable-alternatives/
