News; the development of lacoste shoes

While the union was both profitable and popular, Izod Lacoste's parent company (David Crystal Co.) was


saddled with debt from other business ventures. When attempts to separate Izod and Lacoste to create revenue


did not alleviate the debt, Crystal sold his half of Lacoste back to the French and Izod was sold to Van Heusen.

However, starting in 2000, with the hiring of a new fashion designer Christopher Lemaire, Lacoste began to take


over control of its brand name and logo, reigning in their branding arrangements. Currently Lacoste has once again


returned to the elite status it held before a brand management crisis circa 1990.