IZOD history

The shield has a red outline, while the space inside it is broken into two fields (blue and white). Above the crest, there’s a crown, while below it a banner can be seen featuring the year when the brand was established, 1937.

The A.J. Izod of London clothing company was introduced to the United States in 1938.

While Lacoste used the emblem on several clothing items, it was only in 1951, when he partnered with the Izod company, that the crocodile logo started its way to global fame.

In 1953, David Crystal, the owner of Izod, bought 50% of the rights to market Lacoste in America, and advertised them as “the status symbol of the competent sportsman,”as Izod/Lacoste.

In 1963, Bernard Lacoste took over the management of the company from his father René. At that time, around 300,000 Lacoste products were sold annually, but significant company growth was seen under Bernard’s management.

In 1964, Bernard Lacoste took over the management of the company.

It began its life with a handful of well-known brand names, the most recognized being Izod/Lacoste, which General Mills had acquired in 1968.

With the purchase of David Crystal in 1969, General Mills acquired the rights to the use of the Lacoste brand in North America.

In 1971, Lacoste began their partnership with the Roland-Garros French Open.

In 1977, Le Tigre Clothing was founded in an attempt to directly compete with Izod Lacoste in the US market, selling a similar array of apparel, but featuring a tiger in place of the signature Lacoste crocodile.

Teen-age girls, who bought one in five of the knit shirts in 1982, moved on to the ''Flashdance'' look.

By 1984, problems with the apparel division--known as the General Mills Fashion Group--contributed to the end of General Mills 22-year run of earnings increases.

Despite repeated management changes and futile efforts to reposition the brand, the chairman of General Mills, H. Brewster Atwater, said yesterday that Izod Ltd. would lose money in its 1985 fiscal year, which ends next May.

Crystal also carried over high-selling, general, and administrative expenses, which in 1986 were 30.5 percent of sales.

Palm Beach, which had sales of $404.5 million in 1987, doubled Crystal's revenues.

In April 1988 Crystal bought the jewelry merchandiser Trifari, Krussman & Fishel, Inc., for $66 million.

Crystal had undertaken its aggressive and costly expansion, which had been financed with debt, just as the apparel market and the economy as a whole began to weaken in 1989.

Sales reached $857.2 million and earnings achieved their high of $28.9 million in 1990, but Crystal's good fortune proved to be short-lived.

Crystal lost $71.4 million in 1991 on sales of $862.9 million.

In April 1992 Plaid Holdings Corp. announced that it intended to buy Crystal's Palm Beach and Calvin Clothing divisions.

In 1993, Lacoste split with Izod.

The redesign of 2004 brought a new image to the IZOD visual identity, keeping logotype as the main and the only element.

In 2005, almost 50 million Lacoste products sold in over 110 countries.

Since 2006, the brand has also launched numerous limited editions of its famous polo.

Michel Lacoste served as President until 2008, and it is currently chaired by Lacoste Beryl Hamilton, Rene’s granddaughter.

In 2010, Felipe Baptiste Oliveira became the creative director of Lacoste, a post he would hold for eight years.

In November, 2012, Lacoste was sold to the Swiss family-held group Maus Frères, which already held 35 percent of Lacoste capital via its subsidiary Devanlay, in a deal which valued Lacoste at 1 billion euros.

Fusalp – In 2013, Sophie and Phillipe Lacoste continued the family’s involvement in fashion by buying the storied French company Fusalp.

On January 7, 2015, parent company Phillips-Van Heusen announced that it would be closing all 120 Izod retail outlets due to an increasingly competitive environment driven by more premium brands in the outlet retail channel.

In spring 2016, Izod introduced the Advantage Polo, a new take on their traditional piqué polo featuring a cotton/polyester blend with natural stretch, moisture-wicking fabric, and UPF-15 sun protection.

On August 28, 2018, PVH announced it would expand the Izod brand to Europe starting with the fall/winter 2018 collection, initially in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

In April 2019, licensee Arvind announced it was looking to sell its licensing rights to the Izod brand for the Indian market.

On July 14, 2020, PVH announced that it would close its remaining Heritage Brands retail outlets operating mainly under the Van Heusen name, most of which also carried Izod products.

The sale was completed on August 2, 2021.