Lacoste Designer Louise Trotter Steps Down

Louise Trotter has stepped down as creative director of Lacoste after four years.

Trotter joined Lacoste in 2018 from British contemporary label Joseph, becoming the first woman to lead the French sportswear brand since its creation in 1933. During her tenure, the designer cultivated a retro-sport aesthetic full of graphic twists on iconic tennis dress. Her angle on Lacoste supplied graphic pieces to appeal to a young streetwear audience alongside understated tonal options aimed at reactivating its former bourgeois base.

”By applying her creative vision to both the fashion show and general collections, Louise Trotter has brought real consistency to all Lacoste creations,” the brand said in a statement.

Lacoste, which is privately owned by Switzerland’s MF Brands Group, does not publicly disclose revenue, but a company source estimated the label’s 2022 sales at €2.5 billion, with significant growth year-on-year.

While MF’s portfolio of premium brands—which also includes Aigle, The Kooples and Gant— remains a major force on the French high street, that segment has been losing market share to international sportswear giants, fast-fashion players and luxury names. Since taking over as group chief executive in 2021 (in addition to still leading the Lacoste brand), CEO Thierry Guibert has hired new designers and CEOs at several of MF’s brands.

Following Trotter’s departure “to seek new opportunities,” Lacoste does not plan to name a new creative director. The brand said it plans to “completely rethink its approach to creative direction, with a collaborative studio model focused on a collective vision.”