History of an iconic garment, the polo shirt.

The polo shirt is an essential item of clothing in everyone's wardrobe, especially men.
A global fashion icon with a fascinating and international history, the polo shirt has its origins in India, in a British colony, in the late 19th century. It was born out of the sporting need of English polo players, who began wearing these short-sleeved, light cotton "shirts" with buttons and turned-up collars to protect themselves from the sun. The players often came from the English nobility, and once back home they soon introduced this garment in England as well, reaching as far as Europe. As society evolved and sports became increasingly popular, the polo shirt quickly became a men's "must have."

It was in the late 1920s that the polo shirt took the final form we know today, thanks to Renè Lacoste, a famous tennis champion, who designed a polo shirt with 100 percent cotton pique fabric, helping to shape its classic design. Following a bet during the Devis Cup, Lacoste was nicknamed "the crocodile" by the U.S. press. This nickname came from a promise by his captain, who had told him that if he won two single matches, he would be able to buy the bag displayed in the window that he so coveted, made of real crocodile skin. And so it happened! From that moment, Rene decided to apply the famous stylized crocodile logo on his game polo shirts, a logo that remains a distinctive trademark to this day.

Polo became a symbol of belonging in a variety of cultures and traditions, embodying a unique sense of identity.
In the 1970s, the explosion of the "Hooligans" culture during European soccer competitions led to an increase in the popularity of the polo shirt. In fact, at that time, British fans, traveling around the continent, always wore polo shirts.

An item also beloved by the music world, from Amy Winehouse to the American rap scene led by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, the polo shirt is reinterpreted in various forms, with the collar turned up, in colored stripes or solid colors.
With its fascinating history and timeless versatility, the polo shirt remains an evergreen in clothing, writing a significant part of its history for more than a century, reinterpreted in unique ways by numerous brands.