Bleu Mode Raided Lacoste's Archive to Recycle the Classics
Since childhood, photographer Julien Boudet (AKA Bleu Mode) has been flexing the Croc, Lacoste sportswear, Nike's Air Max Plus 3 , and the occasional beret informing his uniform from early on to the current day. Even as he picked up vintage pieces from various luxury labels, Boudet was drawn back to the house of Le Crocodile. Lacoste is finally returning the favor, enlisting Boudet for a collaborative collection rooted in the clothing company's streetwear legacy.
"I’ve always been a Lacoste fan. I collect the pieces, I hunt for them, I wear them," said Boudet. "Twenty years ago, I dreamed of those Lacoste outfits that I saw in the windows of stores in Sète, my small hometown. At the time, they seemed inaccessible to me. I never thought I would have the chance to collaborate with Lacoste one day. And yet..."
Obsessed with Lacoste's late '80s youth culture boom, Boudet delved deep into the Lacoste archives in Troyes to uncover 10 timeless styles from the past. The windbreakers, sweaters, tracksuits, socks, and — of course — polo shirts are all familiar to anyone who knows Lacoste, but also not. There are fresh patterns and charmingly old-school bits of color-blocking that occasionally interrupt the clean cream palette.
Each piece is a limited edition, hand-numbered by Boudet himself. To further sweeten the pot, all of the items have been crafted entirely of recycled materials, from the textiles to the thread utilized to stitch the Crocs to the chest of each layering piece, putting a new spin on the old favorites.
All of Boudet's goods launch on Lacoste's website on June 24, with a two-day pop-up exhibit in Paris to be held from the following day.