As the bizarre Gucci catwalk show at Parish fashion week revealed, the world of fashion can often represent a strange and difficult place to understand. In case you missed it, Gucci had their catwalk models parade down the aisle holding prosthetic versions of their heads in order to promote "the work of a designer—the act of cutting, splicing and reconstructing materials and fabrics to create a new personality and identity with them".
"The materials used are typical of an operating room and the environment around it: PVC on the walls and floors, fire doors with panic-bars, LED lamps, and plastic chairs like those in a waiting room. The LED lighting is stark, white and blinding".
Despite the fashion company's explanations, people were left confused and bemused by the show - with plenty of users online mocking the luxury clothing brand.
However, while Gucci caused waves for the wrong reasons, Lacoste has set chins wagging for all the right ones. The brand has decided to ditch its iconic crocodile logo in order to help save 10 endangered species in a new limited edition collection of polo shirts.
The company will be working in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and will be releasing one type of polo shirt for each endangered species. The polos will feature an embroidered logo of that species and the number of polos produced will reflect the number of that species that are left in the wild.
Lacoste has signed on for a three-year partnership with the IUCN and the company will produce 1,775 polos in total. Each shirt will retail for $183 and sales will be donated to the organisation in an effort to help protect the endangered animals.
The ten animals that will be taking over from the crocodile include the Javan Rhino - 67, Burmese Roofed Turtle - 40, California Condor - 231 and the Sumatran Tiger - 350. Other species that will also be included in the collection are the Northern Sportive Lemur - 50, the Cao Vit Gibbon - 150, the Kakapo parrot - 157, the Saola - 250, the Anegada ground iguana - 450 and the Vaquita - 30.
While the price-tag may seem a little steep, by purchasing one of the limited edition polo shirts, you are helping in the fight for nature conservation. The collection was first launched during the brand's runway show at Paris Fashion Week and is going to be available for sale on their website.
Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the designer of the brand, said that the change in direction for the company came after he was left inspired by a development project which saves over 50,000 trees. In the catwalk show, the models walked the runway while sporting brown ponchos, camouflage jumpsuits and bee keeper style hats.
BTEC - a French advertising agency who worked alongside Lacoste and IUCN for the project - said that while it's sad to see to crocodile take a break, it's nice to see a world-renowned brand making an effort to use their huge platform for good.
There's no doubt that these polos will sell out pretty quickly and, while they are retailing for a huge price, it is nice knowing that your money is going to a good cause. Also, they're really nice polos.
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