Return to The Chantaco ... Lacoste FW2018-19 Collection

Throughout is existence, the heritage of Lacoste was built on sports – primarily tennis. In June 1930, after a meeting at the Davis Cup, maison founder René Lacoste, then a well-known tennis champion, tied the knot with female golfing champion Simone Thion de La Chaume.

In the same year, de La Chaume, now Mrs Lacoste, took over the helm of the Chantaco Golf Club in Saint Jean-de-Luz from her father and dealt with great challenges of keeping the club afloat during the warring years (1941 – 1945).

Together with René, Simone saved a number of locals from being conscripted into mandatory labour in Germany by employing them to plant trees on and around the golf course.

Today, thanks to the Lacoste and their employees’ effort, about 50,000 trees are covering the entire course, making Chantaco the most tree-lined golf course in France with diverse varieties of conifer trees and red oak trees.

Taking this lesser-known story as the heart of the fall/winter 2018-19 ready-to-wear collection, Creative Director Felipe Oliveira Baptista and his team pieced together the fragments of the past in the forms of periodic photos of the Thion de la Chaume-Lacoste family on their land, old archived pieces of golf wear collection from the 80s and 90s, the club house and the family home with functionality and a sense of timelessness.

“This is the starting point of our collection this season: a tale of empathy, of kindness and of hope,” says Oliveira Baptista of the fall/winter 2018-19 collection. “Its universal reach touched me, and I wanted to transmit it by immersing you as much as possible in Chantaco, the backdrop to this lesser known part of Lacoste history.”

Turning to the vast Lacoste archive as its point of reference, Oliveira Baptista brought back Lacoste golf wears designed in the 80s and 90s to life and enrich the pieces with hints of nature. Think pastoral all-over prints, grassy graphics on the sweatshirts, oversized pullovers with child-like illustrations, resembling a giant Lacoste postcard featuring golfing sceneries of the days gone by. 

Images of plant samplings, golf clubs and golfers taking swing against warm yet muted palette of yellow, purple, off-white, black and grey hark back to the pre-war days.

Comforting fabrics and textures provide a sense of fluidity with reminiscing elements such as the wallpaper or the blanker of an old holiday home. Classic Prince of Wales prints are doused in colours whilst tartan patterns are juxtaposed with nylon. 

On the other hand, the reversible windbreakers provide protection from the uncertain fall/winter weather whilst the multiple pocketed backpack made from extra light cotton canvas would not strain your back and shoulders. In a collaboration with French footwear company Aigle, Oliveira Baptista also threw in rubber boots that go well with the city and the countryside atmosphere.

In line with the needs of modern lifestyle that emphasises more towards functionality and attitude rather than mere style, the outerwear range is designed with modular architectural approach in mind. 

To break the wintry coldness and wetness with utmost comfort whilst outdoor, one can find protection in the forms of reversible parka jackets and raincoat with a maxi hood that rolls up under the back of the neck, heat-sealing hunting ponchos and detachable sleeved leather jackets, and quilted velvet coats that split into two. 

To bring forth a new attitude, Lacoste’s renowned polo shirt in deconstructed manner and technical fabrics lined with faux fur are more than enough to create conversation-worthy fashion statements.

Lacoste FW18/19 ready-to-wear collection will be available at all Lacoste stores and selected departmental stores worldwide this coming fall/winter season.

*Photos courtesy of Lacoste

To locate your nearest Lacoste stores or retailers, visit www.lacoste.com for details.