LACOSTE LAUNCHES COLLECTION WITH ARTIST YOUSSEF SY INSPIRED BY NOVAK DJOKOVIC

by Stephen Garner

Lacoste has debuted its latest capsule collection in collaboration with Tokyo-based French artist Youssef Sy, celebrating the world’s No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic. The Lacoste x YSY Collection will be available on August 26th in select Lacoste stores, retail partners, and online at lacoste.com.

The French sportswear brand tapped the renowned pop-artist, who goes by the moniker ‘YSY’, and is best known for creating signature characters in the image of major international sports personalities. The Lacoste x YSY Collection will feature a bespoke Novak Djokovic character, a tribute to the tennis great, meant to evoke inspiration, admiration, and respect. 

The collaboration features limited-edition Lacoste signature polos, hats, and sweatshirts. The design also integrates elements of nature with Youssef depicting motifs such as mountains and the sea in a tennis ball to illustrate the importance of balance between life and tennis for Novak.

When asked about the design collaboration with Lacoste, Sy confided, “After my meeting with Louise Trotter and her team, we agreed that we wanted to give the concept a bit more depth by combining it with values dear to Novak and Lacoste. His tenacity in holding onto his number one spot, his dedication to work, and the way he passes on his abilities via his foundation and shares with his fans are the values I wanted to highlight in my drawing.”

Novak has served as a longtime inspiration for Sy who created the original Novak character in 2016, following his victory at Roland-Garros. At the time, the artist illustrated a few facets of the player’s dynamic personality in an offbeat way. Recently, Lacoste, Youssef Sy, and the Etendart association brought a tennis court in Clichy, France back to life with one of Sy’s unique Novak-inspired designs from the capsule collection.