René Lacoste founded La Chemise Lacoste in 1933 with André
Gillier, the owner and president of the largest French knitwear
manufacturing firm at the time. They began to produce the revolutionary
tennis shirt Lacoste had designed and worn on the tennis courts with the
crocodile logo embroidered on the chest. The company claims this as the
first example of a brand name appearing on the outside of an article of
clothing.
