Heritage and creativity at Roland Garros

Lacoste had to choose the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, the emblematic temple of French tennis, to stage its big return to the runway? In 2019, the French sportswear brand showed on one of the secondary courts, but that was before it topped the €2 billion revenue mark with ease. This year, to unveil its Fall/Winter 2024 collection, the MF Brands label went with the famous Philippe Chatrier court. And didn’t have to worry about rain, because it is fully roofed.

The show’s soundtrack celebrated the French tennis star René Lacoste, while the guests settled in their seats closest to the court, which was entirely covered with a huge clay-coloured canvas. Actor Pierre Niney, Lacoste’s new brand ambassador, wearing a black leather jacket over an ochre yellow polo with black darted trousers and a Lacoste belt, sat next to Thierry Guibert, the head of MF Brands, who was chatting with another former French tennis pro, Guy Forget. About one hundred guests came to Roland Garros to witness Lacoste’s runway show come-back.

It was the first time that Pelagia Kolotouros, who was appointed creative director in early 2023 after previous stints at The North Face and Yeezy, presented a collection in Paris. The show began with a bit of theatre: a dozen young men in impeccable black suits rolled the huge canvas off the ground, revealing an anomalous tennis court, whose white boundary lines rose in a spiral to the top of a four-metre-high mound. Another team, armed with brooms and clad in white and navy tracksuits, swept the curving boundary lines, readying the court for the show.

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While referencing René Lacoste, Pelagia played by her own rules for her first Lacoste show, distancing herself from the brand’s iconic (and highly profitable) polo shirt, which could only be glimpsed under a sweater, an overcoat or a suit. Kolotouros, who was born in Queens, New York, opted for plenty of layering again, as she did for the Spring/Summer 2024. The new collection was consistent with Lacoste’s shift to a more upmarket positioning, which started a few years ago. Kolotouros had fun combining women’s and men’s silhouettes: pleated tennis skirts were worn over a pair of trousers by both female and male models, either tone-on-tone in forest green, or in white over black trousers. Pleated effects also featured in the leather accessories, of which there were many again this season.

Kolotouros designed several new tops and coats, like the oversize down jackets worn over lightweight knitted tops and mini shorts. Black leather jackets and generously proportioned coats down to the ankles defined the silhouette. Three of these coats, in black, featured a large golden crocodile on the lower back. Under the coats, the models wore leggings, jumpsuits, skirts and shorts, characterised by comfortable high-tech lines and silky, sophisticated materials.

The same soft, flowing fabrics were used for shirt-dresses and jackets infused with a chic tennis vibe, hinted at by black and white printed motifs featuring a period picture of René Lacoste on court, or a vintage tennis racket. Kolotouros also included a handful of performance items in a nod to a sportier mood, one she is familiar with after her work at The North Face.

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“It’s good to be back, and with a special focus on tailoring,” said Guibert after the show. The collection featured two statement tailored items for next winter. A layered, unevenly pleated skirt-dress outfit, shorter at the front and longer on the sides and back. And a pair of darted, high-waisted flared trousers incorporating a belt with a buckle in the shape of a golden or silver crocodile. They were worn over either chunky shoes with cleated sole and a coloured plastic tip, or over platform-soled sneakers.

The same model worn backstage by Lacoste’s Deputy Managing Director Catherine Spindler, who was delighted to see Lacoste staging a runway show in Paris again. An event around which the brand was able to create quite a buzz, attracting plenty of artists and celebrities from France and elsewhere. Kolotouros was in high demand after her first Lacoste show. “I really wanted to pay tribute to the brand’s 91-year heritage, and also to let our clients know how rich is the brand’s history and its connection with tennis,” she said, while posing for pictures with actor Adrien Brody and pop legend Grace Jones.