French Clothing Magnate Lacoste Dies

By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer
PARIS – Bernard Lacoste, who spent more than 40 years at the helm of the
Lacoste clothing empire best known for its crocodile–embossed polo
shirts, has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 74.
Lacoste, who is widely credited with turning the family sportswear
business into a major apparel company, died Tuesday in a Paris hospital,
said company spokesman Philippe Lacoste, nephew of Bernard Lacoste.
The family did not provide the cause of death, but said Bernard Lacoste
had been suffering from a "serious illness" for more than a year. He
stepped down last year as president.
Bernard Lacoste succeeded his father, tennis player Rene Lacoste, as
president of the Paris–based clothing manufacturer in 1963.
The Lacoste polo shirts adorned with the little crocodile have for
generations been the company's staple. The famous insignia comes from
the father, whose nickname was "Le Crocodile."
The nickname apparently originated when Rene Lacoste admired a crocodile
suitcase in a store window, and his Davis Cup captain promised to buy it
for him if he won an important upcoming match. He never got the bag, but
U.S. sports writers took up the name because it described his style on
the court.
The company was founded in 1933. Bernard Lacoste presided over its
international expansion and added women's and accessory lines to the
company's sporty look.
Bernard Lacoste, born in Paris on June 22, 1931, handed over the reins
of the company to his younger brother Michel in September but remained
"honorary president."
He is survived by his wife, Sachiko, and three children from a first
marriage.