In an attempt to simulate a world devoid of time constraints and market pressure, Lacoste’s design director Christophe Pillet created Lacoste Lab, an experimental scheme in which a visionary crew cooks up cutting-edge products and collaborations in the absence of all rules and restrictions. Aimed at defining precisely what the polished label should represent in the years to come, the project will have its inaugural launch at Colette in January, showcasing a limited edition line of goods that will be available elsewhere globally in February.

Each Lab piece is created in partnership with leading authorities in their respective fields. “The aim is to focus the Lacoste style on innovative, inventive, and audacious ideas, which we thought had slightly disappeared [from this market],” says Pillet. In a strict uniform of hunter green and white, the collection includes soccer and rugby balls that London-based Mitre Sports wrapped in tensile fabric, a J.P. Stark–sculpted surfboard manufactured by Notox, a carbon-fiber helmet devised by GPA Design in four sizes, and a slender birch plywood boomerang by 3B. Skis by freeski label Black Crows boast a traditional wood core construction and exclusive finish, while an albino aluminium–framed two-wheeler by French cycle brand Look features a moustache bar, cleats, a single speed belt drive, and a white leather Brooks saddle.

“They were originally just dream products, but Lacoste’s great respect for its heritage prompted us to source experts to help bring them to life,” Pillet says, in a nod to the legacy of innovation set forth by founder René Lacoste, the tech-savvy tennis champ who designed his own rackets and invented the early tennis ball–pitching machine. “He was always thinking of performance in the context of elegance and style,” Pillet says. “The Lacoste Lab is equally modern, contemporary, and timeless.”

Lacoste Lab
Photos: Jean Marc Masala