Lacoste expands its sports territory. The French brand has presented its first complete collection dedicated to padel, taking a step beyond the forays it had already made into this sport through courts, clubs and brand activations.
The proposal covers practically everything necessary to enter a track: two shovels, technical clothing, footwear and a bag. Lacoste thus transfers to padel the model with which it has been relating performance and fashion in other sports for decades, especially tennis and, later, golf.
The entrance has special meaning due to the company’s own history. Founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and André Gillier, the brand has maintained racquet sports as one of its main identity territories. Padel now allows him to extend that legacy to a discipline with a growing presence within the universe of fashion and lifestyle.
It is a proposal for those who are starting to play and for regulars
Lacoste itself summarizes the collection under the idea “Made for every move, every point, every player” and presents it as a proposal for both those who are starting to play and for regular players.
Tecnifibre develops the first Lacoste padel rackets
At the center of the collection are the first shovels to feature the Lacoste crocodile: L.MAX and L.SOFT. To develop the technical part, the company has turned to Tecnifibre, a firm specialized in racquet sports that is part, like Lacoste, of the Swiss group MF Brands. The relationship between both companies allows us to establish a clear division of functions: Lacoste contributes its brand language and design, while Tecnifibre transfers its technical experience in rackets and rackets.
The strategy is interesting because Lacoste does not propose its entry solely from sports equipment. Along with the blades come the L-Paletero bag, the AG-LT Ultra sneakers with a specific color combination and a selection of technical garments. The approach allows the new category to be integrated into the commercial ecosystem that the company already uses for tennis and other sports: the blade works as the most recognizable element of the launch, while clothing, sneakers and accessories expand the reach of the collection towards consumers who also understand sport from style.
The collection will be available in Lacoste stores in Europe starting September 24 and is already sold in North America, South America and through the brand’s digital channels.
Lacoste has been approaching padel for some time from the brand experience. This year, for example, it launched two permanent slopes in Courchevel – an exclusive ski resort located in the French Alps – at the foot of the Émile-Allais slalom stadium, and has used the Club Lacoste concept to integrate racquet sports, fashion and hospitality.
The brand has also developed initiatives in other markets. In Indonesia, it has held its first Lacoste Padel Tournament takeover, in collaboration with Social Padel House by Ismaya, using sport as a meeting point between physical activity, fashion, culture and leisure.
On its own channels, the company shows this approach through environments in which courts, furniture, clothing and accessories share the same visual language. The Lacoste Bali Club, developed at W Bali – Seminyak, is another example of how the company is using racquet sports as a brand experience beyond competition.
The arrival of a specific collection now completes that journey with its own product. And it also reflects the attraction that the growth of paddle tennis is awakening among large sports and fashion companies.
Lacoste also lands with an advantage that is especially consistent with its identity: it does not need to build a relationship with racquet sports from scratch. Their challenge will be to transfer that historical legitimacy of tennis to a category that already has specialized manufacturers and players accustomed to valuing the technical performance of the material.
With Tecnifibre covering that aspect and Lacoste providing design, distribution and brand recognition, the company presents its entry as something broader than two new blades. Paddle tennis becomes part of its sports and fashion proposal with its own category.
