Lacoste Swaps Out Its Iconic Crocodile for a New Species

Jonathan Borge
Updated

What’s old is getting a reboot as of late.

First, Burberry upgraded that classic check pattern with a rainbow twist in support of the LGBTQ community and now, Lacoste is saying goodbye to its iconic crocodile logo—but it’s not what you’re thinking.

The brand has teamed up with the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) to remind the world that indeed, endangered animals are at the risk of extinction across the globe. To do so, they’ve created 10 limited-edition white polo shirts (1,775 total) with embroidered logos that replace the crocodile for animals on the brink of vanishing like the kakapo parrot, Sumatran tiger, and the cao vit gibbon, all included in the Save Our Species collection.

The crocodile is leaving its iconic spot to 10 threatened species through a partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The number of polos produced for each series corresponds to the remaining population sizes in the wild. By buying one of the 1775 polos, you participate in helping IUCN and Lacoste in the fight for wildlife conservation worldwide. Available only in some European countries and in the US - Link in bio. #LacosteSaveOurSpecies

A post shared by Lacoste (@lacoste) on Feb 27, 2018 at 11:35pm PST

So why only make 1,775 polos? The number made for each animal links to the population size of each, meaning only 157 Kakapo polos were made to reflect the 157 birds still on Earth. “By buying a polo, you participate in helping IUCN and Lacoste in the fight for wildlife conversation worldwide,” the brand said in a statement. Proceeds from each $183 polo will be donated to the UCN.

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Unfortunately, the polos are now all sold out, though we’ve reached out to Lacoste to find out whether there are any plans to create a new batch. On Twitter, people pointed out the fact that the shirts flew off the shelves.

Previously, Lacoste has worked with artists like Jean-Paul Goude to reinterpret the classic crocodile design. In 2016, the brand and Goude, a French graphic artist beloved by stars like Kim Kardashian West, dropped a capsule collection that included polos and small clutch bags with an animated, colorful version of the crocodile.

For its spring 2018 show, which marked the brand’s 85h anniversary, they also tapped graphic designers Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag of M/M/ Paris to design the letters of “Lacoste” in the backward shape of a crocodile.

Words. Signs. Symbols - @felipeoliveirabaptista @mmparisdotcom #LacosteMM (C) Music by @hyacinthedfhdgb

A post shared by Lacoste (@lacoste) on Oct 25, 2017 at 5:41am PDT

They’ve also previously worked with Peter Saville, an artist who has collaborated with Kanye West, on a collection of shirts that again gave new life to the logo.

Scroll down to see more of Lacoste’s Save Our Species collection.

The Kakapo Parrot Polo

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The Soala Polo

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The Cao Vit Gibbon Polo

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