In 2018 the french fashion brand Lacoste and The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN short) launched a collaborative project during Paris Fashion week. The idea was simple, to change the iconic crocodile logo, on Lacoste's polo shirts, for ten different Critically endangered species. These polos would be a limited run, with the number of polos directly representing the number of specimens estimated to exist in the wild.
Save our Species
The IUCN and Lacoste started their three-year collaboration with a limited run of polo shirts and a social media campaign. This brought highly positive results, and all of the polos were sold out within the first 24 hours.
After the initial success, this collaboration grew into a more ambitious project for 2019. The initial idea was replicated with ten new species, but it was launched strategically on May 22 to commemorate the international day for biological diversity. In addition, ten stores were selected around the world, each one carrying a different version of the polo, and during the 24 hours that this polo was sold, every product in the store added up to the money raced for the campaign.
All the money made through this collaboration was donated to the IUCN to support their efforts for the conservation of Biological diversity.
It seems that the collaboration didn't happen again in 2020 due to a dispute about the original intentions due to Covid 19.
"Elegance sets us apart, and also unites us. Elegance is far more than style; it is an attitude. It is the internal standards that guide each of our personal choices." Lacoste has a unique interpretation of their defining characteristic, "Elegance"; they extend the ordinary meaning of this word from "the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner" to a guiding line. This particular philosophy allows them to act with high standards. This extends into their CSR program, created in collaboration with the "Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Make Fashion Circular" initiative. The brand is committed to applying a sustainable fashion model, creating longer-lasting products that reduce waste, using more sustainable materials, optimizing the production line, and implementing a second-life program for their garments.
A bit of context
Measurable impact
All of these special edition designs were sold out in less than 24 hours, which could already be considered a major success. Still, in addition to this, it's estimated that Lacoste gained 76% more new clients and earned around 10 million euros in media, with more than 2 billion reactions and 600 thousand shares. IUCN quadrupled its donations and tripled its visitors online.
Reception
Positive
This collaboration received much praise, not only in the form of sales and social media reactions but also from word comities like Cannes, where they received 10 Lions praising their execution, messaging, and, most importantly, effectiveness.
Recognition came in many other shapes, like the Mexican government directly thanking Lacoste for racing awareness of the Vaquita marina, an endemic species to the coast of Baja California victim of collateral fishing.
Negative
Lacoste received some backlash, explicitly pointing out that the ecological cost of running a fashion brand can have a devastating impact on the environment. The fashion industry creates more than 10% of all human carbon emissions, releases around 500,000 tons of microplastics into the ocean, utilizes 93 billion cubic meters of water in its production line, and generates 20% of all industrial water pollution.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Collaborating with an institution devoted to your cause of choice is a safe way of ensuring that what your doing is impactful in a meaningful way. It's easier to work with people that dedicate their lives to a topic than to try to become an expert in every issue.
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