Lacoste x Maison Château Rouge, a new French aesthetic

With this new collaboration, the crocodile brand is joining forces with Maison Château Rouge to reinvent a wardrobe where cultures meet. Founded by creative director Youssouf Fofana, the label has been based since 2015 in the eponymous 18th arrondissement, the historic home of the African diaspora. Since then, its graphic pieces and spectacular collaborations have made it a global benchmark. Together, Lacoste and Maison Château Rouge are bringing cultures together to create a new aesthetic. French.Vibrant. Multiple.

Lacoste and Maison Château Rouge have come up with eight new textile pieces and four pairs of sneakers, bringing together the best of both worlds. Some pay homage to the suburban style of the 90s, others to SAPE (an acronym for Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes). The craftsmanship and know-how are hidden in the details. Exposed seams. Finely selected materials. And a golden crocodile, a nod to the Akan weights, the miniature metal measures used in West Africa. A signature that runs throughout the collection, from the zip-up jacket to the printed T-shirt and long-sleeved polo shirt. Four pairs of mixed sneakers complete the silhouettes – the insole has a print inspired by wax print, revisited here with the imagery of tennis, dear to Lacoste. The models alternate between contrasting topstitching and colours taken from the Lacoste wardrobe, to match the entire collection.

The campaign video echoes the Nouvelle Vague. The cinematic version of the 60s, but also the emerging community of young creatives. We are first taken into a gallery, an immaculate space (apart from the works of art), the film’s main theme. We are then presented with a number of fashion paintings, whose surprising angles create a unique play on scale in the heart of an urban setting. Here and there, images of still life, archives and typography intersperse the scenes – the ultimate testament to the heritage carried by Maison Château Rouge.