Lacoste celebrates Tokyo 1964 with latest Olympic Heritage Collection

The newest additions to the Olympic Heritage Collection, which include a polo shirt, T-shirt, hooded jacket, sweatshirt and cap, are inspired by the iconic Tokyo 1964 emblem, created by graphic designer Yusaku Kamekura, and feature bold prints, retro graphics and Lacoste’s signature crocodile logo.

The collection is on exclusive advance sale in Japan – both online and in-store – as of Thursday 29 April 2021. It will then be available from Thursday 15 July at Lacoste boutiques in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Spain, as well as in the shop at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Each of the items in the collection draws on the simple, minimalist design of Kamekura’s official Games emblem, which features a bold circle evoking the Japanese national flag and representing the rising sun. The Olympic Games Tokyo 1964 proved to be a ground-breaking event for graphic design, with the official emblem forming part of a celebrated Look of the Games that included the first ever pictograms, which were used to overcome language barriers at the Games by using graphics to depict the Olympic sports.

Lacoste’s Tokyo 1964-inspired items are the fourth apparel collection created by the label to celebrate the graphic legacy of an iconic Olympic Games edition, joining the limited-edition Grenoble 1968, Mexico City 1968 and Los Angeles 1984 lines that were launched over the last two years, under a licensing partnership with the IOC, to create co-branded collections around four past Olympic Games.

The agreement forms part of the IOC’s Global Licensing Strategy – an initiative in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 that aims to engage and connect fans through official merchandise that strengthens and promotes the Olympic brand, not only during the Olympic Games, but between Games as well.