The Lacoste brand was founded by French tennis player René Lacoste. There is an interesting story behind the alligator logo. In 1927, the captain of his team promised to buy him an alligator-skin suitcase if Lacoste would win an important match. Lacoste did, and the French team won the Davis Cup. He became known as the Alligator; and on the courts he wore a blazer embroidered with a small alligator.
Lacoste designed many of the tennis shirts he wore on the court. In 1933, he and a French manufacturer collaborated to create a collection of shirts with the infamous alligator logo.
Since then, the Lacoste empire has improved and expanded, including a collection of handbags.