Models in bright green pants and pink polo shirts played a table soccer game at the Lacoste L!ve booth, at the Novomania International Fashion Trade Show, to introduce the company's new line of products.
It was here that Frank Cancelloni, Asia-Pacific CEO for Lacoste Fashion, announced the launch of Lacoste L!ve, for customers who are "young at heart".
The first Lacoste L!ve shop in Asia recently opened at the Joy City shopping mall in Shanghai, soon after its official launch in New York, London and Paris.
"We're not segmenting our customers by age groups," Cancelloni tells China Daily. "Lacoste L!ve is more about an attitude toward life and a way of living."
He described the Lacoste L!ve style as "youthful with no compromise (when it comes to) elegance" and "classic design with a little twist."
There will be no distressed baggy jeans with holes, he says, as Lacoste L!ve will be consistent with the graceful image of Lacoste, a high-end apparel company founded by French tennis player Rene Lacoste in 1933.
"We will surprise our customers and tease them a little bit, without being provocative," Cancelloni says.
The first series of Lacoste L!ve features Lacoste's classical polo shirts, but in more interesting colors, such as pink. More importantly, there are different fits. The coming Lacoste L!ve collection will have an "Asian cut", better suited to Asian body shapes.
Lacoste decided to start its new Lacoste L!ve with men's apparel because 65 percent of Lacoste sales are men's wear. New seasons of Lacoste L!ve will feature more varied designs, expanding to women's apparel and accessories and even a Lacoste L!ve perfume - which will be launched soon.
The bright green cardigan and slim-fit pants are refreshing, while the new Lacoste L!ve shops will have games such as table soccer or retro electronic gaming machines.
Lacoste L!ve will communicate with customers on the Internet, through blogs and micro blogs. In the future, netizens will be able to buy Lacoste L!ve online, as well as through its retail chain stores. "We don't expect to grow fast, or do aggressive promotions. We'll let customers find us," Cancelloni says.
Lacoste L!ve also plans to work closely with artists and designers with some crossover initiatives.
French graffiti artist Honet, for example, has applied two different patterns on one shirt, inspired by the Razzle/Dazzle camouflage uniform worn by the US navy during World War II.
Lacoste started playing tennis and then moved on to golf, and remains a provider of professional sportswear for internationally famous tennis and golf players.
But at the same time Lacoste L!ve is a versatile lifestyle brand that you can wear "whenever you are happy," Cancelloni says.
