Louise Trotter Discusses Her Lacoste Fall/Winter 2021 Collection

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HypeBae has a interview with Louise Trotter in which she discusses her new Fall/Winter Collection for Lacoste. In the interview, she discusses what was the inspiration behind the new collection:

On a very basic level, I wanted to create a collection that took into consideration how we live our lives today, with blurred lines between work, home and sport, and how this has impacted our need for clothes that can perform in the everyday. Before I used to take taxis or ride the Metro, but now I walk and cycle daily and this has changed how I dress and how I feel. At the same time, I have been drawn to different people I would see and connect with: skaters, cyclists, and couriers; so movement plays a big part of the inspiration. I worked with two references: our French preppy style –  the classic icons that I love; and sportswear that represents the active lifestyle that we live today. Proportion was also a key consideration, I design and develop the collection with a genderless mindset and I respond to how proportions change depending on the wearer. Finally, I continued the philosophy from SS21 by bringing deadstock and left-over fabrics in limited-edition pieces.

She also discusses the genesis of the new “Super Croc” emblem:

One of our designers found the giant crocodile claw in the archive and it all began from there. “The Super Croc,” “The flaming L emblem,” “The flaming tennis ball,” and the “Lacoste POW” were all inspired by vintage comic strips and expressed perfectly how the crocodile has become a pop culture icon.

Read the full interview at HypeBae.

Lacoste Autumn/Winter Fashion Show

Here’s Lacoste’s description of their Autumn/Winter Fashion Show:

Held at the Tennis Club de Paris, the Lacoste Autumn Winter 2020 runway show is the third act in creative director Louise Trotter’s intimate dialogue with the bold spirit of René Lacoste. A powerhouse on and off the tennis court, René’s unrelenting thirst for excellence, his dedication and verve was matched by none other than his wife Simone Thion de la Chaume – herself a champion golfer. Together, they reflected the very definition of a sporting power couple. Today Louise Trotter celebrates the harmonies in their contrasts, and the beautiful ricochet of references between her sport and his. By applying modern technology to the sartorial aplomb of a century ago, a fresh sense of sportif style rises to the fore. Future classics are imbued with the timeless élan of Lacoste’s French heritage.

Designed for elegance and performance – at leisure or play – the collection exudes a consummate and athletic ease. Lacoste green and navy are joined by clay court browns, spearmint, sky blue, candy pink, orange, lemon and tan, in a lively palette that recalls our collective memories of weekend tournaments, friendly matches, and the off-duty uniforms of the sporting elite. Comfort and ease is the luxury of today: bringing the focus closer to the body, sports blazers and trousers are tailored in technical jersey and shell knits and brushed pullovers play with the structures and scale of Prince de Galles, houndstooth and Vichy checks. Pulled from the lexicon of French pop culture, the Lacoste crocodile peeks out from jacket linings and a pastel all-over print, as tennis skirts in Japanese jersey are worn with racket and club print silk blouses, and boxy polo styles feature chunky knit collars, contrast plackets and leather trims.

Protective outerwear is revisited – the trench, duffel, car coat and hooded vareuse anorak are finished in sleek pairings of bonded jersey neoprene, soft alpaca or checked double face piped with leather, thermal topstitching, or archive ‘framis’ taping. Straight from the 1980s, the original T-Clip sneaker is updated in contrast pastel shades, whilst brogued golf lanyards and caddy bags are a tongue-incheek nod to Simone Lacoste’s lifelong talent.

Designed by René Lacoste, the original L1212 polo is elevated in a double-knit mercerized cotton. Premiering at the Autumn Winter 2020 fashion show, it is featured in a fly poster campaign at the Tennis Club de Paris worn by the season’s runway cast and photographed by Quentin De Briey.

Set-up design / OBO Hair / Gary Gill

Makeup / Lauren Parsons

Music / Frédéric Sanchez

Casting / Piergiorgio Del Moro

The chipboard used as a canvas for the show will be donated to La Réserve des Arts, a French association that sources used materials to give them a second life. The benches will be re-used during upcoming Lacoste events.