For Spring-Summer 2026, Lacoste steps beyond the court and into the intimate in-between. Staged inside the soaring Hall Eiffel at Lycée Carnot in Paris, the brand’s latest runway show, The Locker Room, transforms a space of private ritual into a powerful stage for reflection, sensuality, and reinvention.
Creative Director Pelagia Kolotouros turns her focus toward the locker room — a liminal environment suspended between triumph and defeat. It is here, in moments of unguarded honesty, that the collection finds its voice. Moving beyond competition, Kolotouros revisits the formative training years of founder René Lacoste, channeling the emotional intensity and athletic purity that shaped the house’s DNA.
The Poetry of the Unfinished
This season celebrates incomplete states of dress — the unbuttoned tennis polo after a match, the loosened tracksuit, garments slipping from performance into repose. There is a quiet sensuality in these undone gestures. Sweat-soaked uniforms give way to lightness and fluidity, replacing rigid perfection with authenticity.
The wardrobe unfolds in sheer polos, oversized transparent nylon tops, and ethereal wide-leg trousers accented with vintage sportswear references. Robe-like trench coats boldly inscribed with “Tennis for Everyone” introduce a democratic spirit, while mirror leather statements, rubberized cottons, and wet-look nylon inject tension. Transparency and opacity, structure and softness, athletic precision and effortless chic coexist in deliberate contradiction.
Kolotouros continues her exploration of tailoring — first introduced in her debut for the brand — but softens the approach with loose silhouettes and sensual draping. Performance fabrics merge with tropical wools, mohair, crisp poplin, terry cloth, and specially dyed nylons, balancing technical innovation with refined heritage.
Transforming Hall Eiffel into The Locker Room
The show’s setting elevated the concept further. Hector Degeorge’s 1895 glass-and-iron Hall Eiffel was reimagined as an immersive locker room environment. Tiled surfaces, steamed curved glass panels, and cascading shower curtains created an atmosphere charged with voyeurism — dissolving the line between private preparation and public spectacle.
Materials echoed this environment. Transparent organza mimicked shower curtains, lustrous toweling appeared in unexpected applications, and reflective leather amplified the glistening afterglow of sport. Every element underscored Lacoste’s commitment to real-world dressing while elevating it into something cinematic and intimate.
Heritage, Remixed
The iconic crocodile receives a fresh interpretation this season, inspired by the texture of grass tennis courts and rendered through intricate embroideries celebrating French savoir-faire. Meanwhile, the Lenglen bag returns with refined tipping details referencing vintage tennis pleats and handles reminiscent of racket grips — subtle nods to the house’s enduring athletic roots.
The Spring-Summer 2026 palette evokes nostalgic sportswear codes, pairing vibrant orange and archival blue with sophisticated taupe and olive green. Delicate floral embroideries punctuate the collection, referencing the triumphs and joys of sport experienced by Lacoste’s founder in the 1920s.
A New Standard of Sartorial Intimacy
With Spring-Summer 2026, Lacoste reframes sport not as spectacle, but as emotion. The collection captures the precise moment when victory meets vulnerability — when heritage softens, silhouettes loosen, and athletic intention transforms into seductive elegance.
In The Locker Room, performance gives way to presence. And in that suspended state, Lacoste finds a new expression of modern sport.
