The recently launched lacoste showroom at Mall of India, Noida, is no less than a boutique with their whole new Spring/Summer collection. R Sharma takes a tour
In 1933, Rene lacoste designed a half-sleeved garment which was somewhat between polo players’ jerseys and collar shirts which changed the dynamics of the world of atheletes competing on court against heat. The brand, not new to us was lacoste which is synonymous with polo. This is the reason when a new store of the brand was launched in the Mall of India, Noida, we could not give it a miss. Things that are different and worth checking at the store-
l.12.12 corner: This is the name that we choose to call this side of the store. As we entered the store, one thing that caught our attention was a multi-coloured row filled with l.12.12 — the iconic polo. One in the classic l.12.12 is for the cotton that they use, two is for the half sleeve polo and 12 represents the 12th protocol that was approved when Rene lacoste started developing the comfortable polo. We were told that they do 80 colours in one season, both in half sleeve as well as full ones. These are designed according to the colours palette that includes mainly all colours.
Fashion wall: Every season, they have three themes. The present theme is ultra marine, others being the grand podium and chromatic sun. This theme is inspired by water sports so you will see a lot of inspiration from yatchs here. The other garments in the collection include sailor stripes along with pique texturing and net woven combination (woven fabric with the pique structuring).
Sports collection: This collection is not only meant for those who wish to indulge in sports activities but also those who want to have a sporty look and feel. The fabric in the collection is a breathable one, and that is why they are called performance polos. They also have ultra dry polos which dry up the sweat on top of the fabric whenever you are working out. Then, they also have their jersey t-shirt which is usually light and mainly for youth centric customers.
Women in ultra marine: Their collection for women is also inspired by the theme of the season ultra marine. Sailor stripes have been transformed into dresses and we really liked a knee-length sailor striped white dress. It looked formal but comfortable, we must say. This is also the first time that they have launched a footwear collection for women including the wedges and boat shoes.
Polo for kids: They have polo for girls as well as boys. They are actually an extension of what they make for adults. The fabric is their classic pique and the age group is between 4-16. The collection is divided into two themes Fairplay and Summer wave. The former one mostly has stripes and the latter one gives more of a beachy kind of feeling.
Rajesh Jain, managing director and chief executive officer for lacoste India shared, “I am delighted to announce the opening of our new flagship boutique. Our new boutique among others in the country will showcase the latest spring summer 2016 collection. The new range is a perfect fusion of sports and style that blends into technical innovation with sleek graphics and bold colors. The collection is contemporary, functional and technical for both men and women.”
With this, came the end of our lacoste store tour, where everything is divided and placed carefully. If 80 per cent of the store has menswear, the rest is specially allotted to women and kids.