A staple of most sporting wardrobes, the humble polo shirt has its origins in a completely different sport: tennis.
How does that work? Read on to find out.
The Lacoste Polo Shirt
One of the world’s most famous fashion brands is Lacoste. Their crocodile logo can be seen on polo shirts all over the world.
As well it should be: Lacoste invented the polo shirt. But not because of any connection with the sport of polo (also known as “the sport of kings”) itself.
Lacoste was founded in 1933 by former French tennis champion René Lacoste. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, tennis players wore stiff “tennis whites” that more closely resembled casual office-wear: long-sleeved white button-up shirts, flannel trousers, and even ties! These “whites” caused a lot of problems for freedom of movement – a very important part of tennis.
Lacoste, who disliked this traditional uniform, designed a short-sleeved cotton T-shirt woven in the “piqué” style. It was unstarched, which allowed for greater freedom of movement, and the fabric was breathable, helping keep the body cool during a match. When Lacoste retired from professional tennis, he founded a clothing company with André Gillier, and marketed his shirt throughout Europe and North America.
So how does a tennis shirt become a polo shirt?
The Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt
Like Lacoste and his tennis shirts, polo players had come to resent their thicker, stiffer, long-sleeved uniforms with collars that flipped up in the breeze. They happily adopted Lacoste’s tennis shirt, but for reasons unknown, the style became known as a “polo” shirt. This was cemented when Ralph Lauren launched the Polo line of clothing in 1972, marketing his tennis shirt design as a “polo shirt.” The Ralph Lauren polo shirt may not have been designed for polo players, but it imitated their normal attire and so the name has stuck.
We sell a wide range of customisable polo shirts for adults and kids alike, including hi vis polo shirts. If you have any queries about any of our products, get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you out.
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