A lemur. A gibbon. A rhino. These are the cool animals now.
Famous French tennis brand Lacoste has released a new series of polos all featuring animals other than their signature crocodile for the first time in their 85-year history.
But fear not, the bold move is the result of an extremely good cause; they are replacing the beguiling croc with 10 different endangered species, with the proceeds of the shirts going to the Union of the Conservation of Nature, who they have agreed to partner with for the next three years.
The polos themselves are the typical Lacoste affair – gleaming white design classics – with each shirt adorning an endangered animal.
There will only be 1,775 of the shirts produced, with each shirt’s production number directly correlating to how many of that species are believed to be left alive in the wild.
There are 450 Anegada ground iguana, 350 Sumatran tiger, 250 Saola, 231 California condor, 157 Kakapo parrots, 150 Cao Vit gibbon, 67 Javan rhino, 50 Northern Sportive lemur, 40 Burmese Roofed turtle and 30 Vaquita.
A vaquita, by the way, is a rare type of porpoise. I didn’t even have to Google it.*
Whilst I always loved the crocodile, some of the new designs are, how do I put this, extremely flame-y.
The Save Our Species press release reads:
“The crocodile. This is how the French tennis champion Rene Lacoste was nicknamed in 1927 for his tenacity on the court. Today, the Lacoste logo still symbolises the will and commitment the brand invests into each action it undertakes.
“Taking the capsule collection from concept to launch has been achieved in half the time it usually requires for such a project and testifies to the dynamism which businesses like Lacoste can bring to the global extinction threat: a universal challenge which many agree is of utmost urgency to environmental sustainability.”
The shirts were launched at the Paris Fashion Week and are on sale now.
You can check them out on the Save Our Species website or the Lacoste store. You can also keep track of the campaign in its entirety with the #SaveOurSpecies.
Help save some animals, look smart as fuck whilst you do it. Seems like a win-win.
The crocodile is leaving its iconic spot to 10 threatened species through a partnership with the @IUCN. Help us fight for wildlife conservation worldwide. Click here to discover more: https://t.co/9UhE1vUCel #LacosteSaveOurSpecies pic.twitter.com/PjZMRhdDD1
— Lacoste (@Lacoste) February 28, 2018
Unsurprisingly, the shirts have now been completely snapped up, as it were.
A statement on the brand’s website reads: “Thank you to all who purchased a polo and helped… fight to protect wildlife worldwide.
“You can still participate and help by making a donation on Save Our Species.”
*Obviously, yeah, I had to Google it.
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