Lacoste and Alpine Announce Collaboration Inspired by French Aesthetics and Innovation – Where Exceptional Performance Meets Refined Elegance

French premium fashion and sports brand LACOSTE (Lacoste) celebrates the encounter between two French icons embodying sport, innovation, and design, with a limited capsule collection and a one-of-a-kind "Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally."

Paris, June 29, 2026 – Lacoste and Alpine have announced a collaboration inspired by French creativity. The two iconic brands, who constantly push the boundaries in their respective fields, join forces, born from a shared ambition to blend performance, elegance, and lightness.

Rooted in the visionary legacy of their founders, René Lacoste and Jean Rédélé, this collaboration has given birth to two special creations: the unique "Beware of the Crocodile" Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally and a limited capsule collection. These two creations express a common vision for sport in different ways, embodying the philosophy of both brands: "Innovation is always for driving, emotion, and style."

The collaboration is also expressed in the short film "Le Test," produced by "Ninety Films," a production company co-founded by Lacoste ambassador and actor Pierre Niney. The film features Pierre Niney alongside BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team driver and Lacoste ambassador Pierre Gasly. Playing themselves, the two depict an unexpected yet harmonious encounter surrounding the one-of-a-kind "Beware of the Crocodile" – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally. Blending humor, composure, and playfulness, the film further expands the story of this collaboration and impressively expresses the shared values of the two French icons: the fusion of performance and elegance.

This one-off model (custom-made item) was born from a creative dialogue between the design and engineering teams of both brands. It is based on the Alpine A290 Rally, deliberately chosen for its competition-spec technical foundation. This bold choice reflects a desire to create a true automotive object born directly from motorsport, rather than just a design study.

The Alpine 290 Rally, the most extreme and high-performance model in the upcoming A290 series, is the ideal platform to express uncompromising sportiness. Developed for customer racing, the A290 Rally embodies Alpine's passion for electric motorsport and symbolizes a new generation of performance that is more compact, agile, and accessible to a wider range of users.

An Encounter of Two French Pioneers

René Lacoste, a passionate competitor and inventor, and Jean Rédélé, a visionary founder, have each transformed their worlds through unique approaches that blend technical excellence, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of lightness. Both French brands are born from a shared vision: "to push the limits of performance while pursuing functional elegance and lightness." On different stages – the court and the circuit – they have built their identities on the same balance of innovation, precision, and appeal. Today, their legacy culminates in a grand creation: the Alpine x Lacoste A290 Rally, unveiled alongside a capsule collection that extends this shared spirit to the wardrobe.

Beware of the Crocodile – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally

At the heart of this collaboration is a one-of-a-kind, one-off model born from a creative dialogue between the design teams of both brands. "Beware of the Crocodile – Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally" draws inspiration from the red mouth of the crocodile, symbolizing Lacoste's identity. Starting from this iconic detail, an immersive design concept unfolds throughout the vehicle, creating a consistent worldview down to the smallest details.

On the exterior, this one-off model reinterprets rally car design codes with a more modern and graphical design language. Wide-track suspension, flared wheel arches, powerfully sculpted fenders, a large diffuser, roof air intakes, a prominent rear spoiler, and exposed carbon parts all express uncompromising sports performance honed to its essence.

This architecture is based on motorsport-derived technology. It incorporates competition vehicle technology throughout, including a chassis optimized for high rigidity and precise handling, suspension developed specifically for rally competition, wide tracks for enhanced stability and grip, and functional aerodynamics designed to improve cooling and downforce during high-speed driving.

Designed with performance in mind, the A290 Rally features a specially tuned electric powertrain, delivering instant response from the first input and powerful acceleration – a significant advantage in rally competition. It also features dedicated electronic control settings to maintain stable performance under demanding driving conditions. Furthermore, a reinforced braking system and a setup focused on driving precision provide reliable, efficient, and manageable handling on all surfaces.

This model is conceived as if built by motorsport-loving engineers in a garage, returning to the essence of driving pleasure. It is a true rally car, reinterpreted through Lacoste's styling perspective.

The light signature has been reconstructed to evoke the gaze of a crocodile, and graphic details scattered across the body reflect the collaborative work of the Lacoste and Alpine design teams. The exterior color is a bluish-white inspired by the Alpine landscape, reminiscent of snow, ice, and frost. The delicate texture woven by fine pearl particles further enhances the vehicle's technical and mineral expression.

Immersion into the Lacoste World

The interior transforms into an immersive space unified in monochrome red, creating an experience as if the driver has literally stepped inside the crocodile's mouth. This intense color sharpens the senses, awakens instincts, and encourages performance-oriented driving. In the rear cabin, a motif of a crocodile stalking its prey over time is incorporated, elevating the driver to the role of a "Croco-Pilot" pursuing the ideal line. The iconic "petit piqué" material of Lacoste is used for the seats and door panels. The embroidery is finished by Potencier, a historic workshop that has created Lacoste's crocodile logo. The shared Alpine and Lacoste logo is treated as a bas-relief, accentuating the entire interior.

The cabin is composed of a contrast between technical textures and enveloping materials. Structural components are anodized red, and the rally seats incorporate parts made using 3D printing technology by "ERPRO." This technology enables a lattice structure design, achieving a high level of lightness, comfort, and performance. This aligns with the core belief of both brands in extracting performance through intelligent design.

This approach is also part of a broader effort towards weight reduction and functional optimization, essential for rally competition. In a sport where even slight differences in weight or response directly translate to performance, this philosophy holds immense significance. Furthermore, various subtle details reminiscent of a crocodile are incorporated throughout the vehicle, consistently expressing the unique creative spirit of this collaboration. A total of 290 crocodile motifs are integrated into the overall design.

Collection Inspired by Court and Circuit

In conjunction with the limited edition car, Lacoste and Alpine are releasing a capsule collection (not available in Japan) that merges the two worlds of "court" and "circuit."

Featuring polo shirts, t-shirts, lightweight technical wear, accessories, and co-created items from both brands, the collection combines sporty elegance, functionality, and advanced technical savoir-faire. Designed to move with the wearer, the collection translates the shared values of performance, lightness, precision, and style of both brands directly into the wardrobe.

Through this collaboration, Lacoste and Alpine celebrate a unique vision of French design: one where innovation always serves a purpose, performance is for emotion, and elegance accompanies movement.

"Lacoste and Alpine share the same culture of innovation since their inception, shaped by pioneers who were convinced that exceptional performance stems from both wit and attention to detail. By merging our respective legacies, expertise, and creative standards, we have conceived a project that celebrates French creativity, based on a shared vision of performance and elegance."

— Eric Vallat / CEO of Lacoste

"The Alpine Lacoste A290 Rally embodies the meeting of two French brands sharing the same values of movement, precision, and boldness. In a way that resonates with the spirits of Jean Rédélé and René Lacoste, two pioneers who set the standards in their respective fields, Alpine and Lacoste celebrate a form of 'performance' that goes beyond mere speed. This collaboration fuses competition-derived technical elements, design lightness, and timeless elegance. It is a vehicle designed for the track, yet with a distinct aesthetic signature."

— Antony Villain / Vice President of Design at Alpine

About Lacoste

Since manufacturing its first polo shirt in 1933, Lacoste has spread cheerfulness and elegance worldwide through its unique and original lifestyle for women, men, and children, built on an authentic sports tradition. Blending sport and fashion, Lacoste liberates the wearer, brings "movement" to everyday life, and enables free self-expression. In all its collections, Lacoste's timeless elegance is expressed through a harmony of creativity and tradition. Since the brand's founding, the aura of the crocodile logo has been passed down through generations of wearers. It has shone even brighter, growing into an emblem that symbolizes the brand beyond mere design. Lacoste items, spreading from country to country, generation to generation, fan to fan, have established their current status as icons that evoke a sense of connection with the brand. Lacoste's universal and timeless elegance builds a vast community where everyone respects and acknowledges each other's values and differences.

About Alpine

Founded in 1955 by Jean Rédélé, Alpine has established itself as a leading French sports specialty brand. In 2017, the new Alpine A110 was unveiled, faithfully inheriting Alpine's universal principles of lightness, an emotional driving experience, and French savoir-faire. In 2021, the Alpine Business Unit was established, and it continues to develop based on the heritage and know-how of the historic factory in Dieppe, as well as the engineering expertise of Alpine Racing and Alpine Cars. As a "laboratory of innovation" within the Renault Group, the brand drives the development of truly authentic and unique sports cars. With this technical prowess, Alpine participates in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in FIA World Championships. The brand also actively engages in motorsport activities across various categories such as Rally, Cup, and GT4 through its customer racing program.

In 2024, starting with the launch of the hot hatch model Alpine A290, followed by the introduction of the brand's first sports fastback, the Alpine A390, in 2025, the brand is ushering in a new era of challenges alongside the iconic sports car Alpine A110.

◆ Inquiries: Lacoste Customer Service Center 0120-37-0202

◆ Lacoste Official Online Store (www.lacoste.jp)

◆ Lacoste Official SNS IG @lacoste_tokyo X @LACOSTE_JAPAN LINE @lacoste_japan