Sportswear's All-Encompassing Future, Foretold By Lacoste
Brand: Lacoste
Season: Spring/Summer 2022
Editor's Notes: Creative director Louise Trotter hasn't had her fill of Lacoste heritage — the past has been mined for collaborations and sneakers in recent months — but she does have her eye on the future. For Spring/Summer 2022, the French heritage brand is shifting into 3022, taking its signature sportswear into a tech-y, space-age future.
Now, this isn't just Lacoste making Starship Enterprise uniforms or anything like that: it's an amalgamation of all sporty flavors into a high-spec smoothie, taking a little from column A and a little from Column B and smashing them together to create something new.
Thus, there's a double-breasted peak lapel blazer and short set cut from stretchy jersey, flowing tracksuits with creased trousers, climbing ropes dangling from weighty shoulder bags, and plush, cushioned visors. Translucent mesh jerseys and jackets are layered over signature Lacoste polos and tall athletic socks are slid into slides or laced up in (kinda familiar-looking) sneaker-sandals.
It's a mélange of disparate athleisure cues pulled from all eras of Lacoste but pushed into the next generation by functional fabrics used for surprising patternmaking. Knits and shirts are parceled out by unexpected bifurcation; rugby sweaters are lengthened, widened, and made adjustable; lightweight jackets have all the shape of neoprene but all the breathability of techwear.
Proportions are, suitably, left loose. It's not much of a future if garments are inherently gendered by nipped waists or masculine hues. Just look at the breadth of the bottoms: from five-inch running shorts to knee-length sweaters to breezy track pants laden with a futuristic Lacoste logo, it's all here for everyone in Lacoste's post-modern utopia. Shiny red techno tennis skirts for everyone!
