In October 2025, the storied French maison Lacoste unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week, drawing global attention not only for its sartorial vision but for the compelling narrative at the heart of its runway spectacle. Titled “The Locker Room,” the show—helmed by creative director Pelagia Kolotouros—marked a decisive moment for the brand, weaving together athletic heritage, contemporary accessibility, and a sonic landscape as innovative as the garments themselves.
Setting the Stage: Paris, Sport, and Streaming for All
At precisely 10:30 am on a brisk Parisian morning, Lacoste brought its latest collection to life before a live audience and, crucially, a worldwide digital viewership. This dual approach—physical runway and global streaming—signals a new era for the brand, one that embraces both tradition and technology, exclusivity and open access.
Paris Fashion Week is more than an industry calendar entry; it’s a fiercely competitive arena where legacy houses and emerging voices vie for attention. Lacoste’s choice to present “The Locker Room” in this space is a statement of intent: the brand is not content to rest on its iconic crocodile logo. Instead, it’s seeking to redefine what sportswear means in a world that demands both performance and polish.
Pelagia Kolotouros: A Visionary at the Helm
Pelagia Kolotouros, Lacoste’s creative director, continues to shape the maison’s future with a sharp eye for nuance. Her tenure has been marked by a willingness to interrogate the codes of the brand—heritage tennis whites, preppy silhouettes, and athletic utility—and recast them for a generation that values authenticity and innovation in equal measure.
“The Locker Room” is a thematic extension of Kolotouros’s vision. Here, the locker room is not merely a space of transition; it’s a crucible of identity, camaraderie, and transformation. Under her direction, the runway became a metaphorical threshold between sport and society, private ritual and public spectacle.
“The Locker Room”: Concept and Cultural Resonance
Choosing “The Locker Room” as the show’s title is both literal and evocative. In the world of sport, the locker room is a place of preparation and reflection, where athletes shed their public facades and confront the realities of competition. Lacoste’s runway, then, was not simply a stage for clothes—it was a site for storytelling.
The collection’s presentation—though not described in detail in available sources—was suffused with the atmosphere of competitive anticipation and communal energy. This conceptual underpinning is vital: it positions Lacoste not just as a purveyor of athletic-inspired fashion, but as a brand attuned to the emotional and psychological dimensions of sport.
Global Accessibility: Streaming and Democratization
Lacoste’s decision to stream the runway live to a worldwide audience is emblematic of the brand’s commitment to accessibility. In an industry often accused of elitism, this gesture is both progressive and strategic. It acknowledges the reality that fashion’s influence extends far beyond the select few in the front row; it belongs to the millions who engage online, who aspire, and who interpret style in their own contexts.
This global reach also speaks to Lacoste’s sporting heritage. Sports, by their nature, are communal—watched, played, and celebrated by diverse audiences. By merging digital openness with the physicality of the Paris runway, Lacoste bridges the gap between exclusivity and universality.
The Sonic Palette: Contemporary and Experimental Sound
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Spring/Summer 2026 show was its musical curation. Rather than defaulting to generic runway beats, Lacoste commissioned a soundtrack that was both avant-garde and emotionally resonant. The lineup included:
- Michael Gordon – Renowned for his minimalist compositions, Gordon’s work often explores rhythmic complexity and sonic texture, offering a cerebral counterpoint to visual spectacle.
- Weval – The Dutch electronic duo known for atmospheric soundscapes and genre-blurring productions, infusing the runway with a sense of movement and possibility.
- Tirzah – A British artist whose experimental pop and understated vocals evoke intimacy and introspection, adding a layer of subtle tension to the show.
- Arca – The Venezuelan producer and performer celebrated for her boundary-pushing electronic music, injecting the event with unpredictability and edge.
- Ball Boys – An emerging act whose fresh energy and athletic references dovetail with the show’s thematic core.
This sonic tapestry elevated the collection, transforming the runway from a passive viewing experience into a multisensory event. Each artist’s contribution underscored the interplay between discipline and creativity—a dynamic at the heart of both fashion and sport.
Sporting Heritage Reimagined
Lacoste’s identity is inextricably linked to the world of sport. Founded by tennis legend René Lacoste, the brand’s legacy is one of innovation and elegance—tennis shirts that became cultural icons, athletic functionality rendered in sophisticated forms. Yet in “The Locker Room,” this heritage was not presented as nostalgia but as raw material for reinvention.
The collection’s attitude, as inferred from its conceptual framing, likely referenced classic tennis and athletic motifs but subverted them through modern tailoring, unexpected textures, or perhaps gender-fluid silhouettes. Kolotouros’s approach suggests an ongoing dialogue between past and present: a respect for tradition, coupled with a refusal to be bound by it.
In a market where “athleisure” has too often become a synonym for generic comfort, Lacoste’s SS26 offering appears to champion athleticism as a lived experience—a source of strength, style, and community.
Fashion’s New Frontier: Accessibility and Identity
The SS26 show stands as a testament to fashion’s evolving landscape. Brands like Lacoste are increasingly compelled to redefine what luxury and exclusivity mean in the digital age. By streaming its runway, Lacoste not only democratizes access but also acknowledges a truth: identity is forged in both private and public spheres, in physical spaces and virtual communities.
This duality—the intimate and the grand, the locker room and the runway, the Parisian elite and the global audience—reflects the complexity of contemporary fashion. It’s a world where style is no longer dictated solely by designers or editors, but co-created by audiences, influencers, and everyday wearers.
Critical Perspective: What We Didn’t See—and Why It Matters
It’s worth noting that, due to ad-blocker interference and limited press previews, detailed reviews of individual looks and materials remain elusive. While this is a loss for those seeking granular coverage, it also offers an opportunity to focus on the show’s overarching narrative and cultural impact.
In many ways, the scarcity of look-by-look analysis places greater emphasis on the event as a whole. The music, the theme, the accessibility—all become central components of the collection’s identity. It’s a reminder that fashion is not only about the garments, but about the stories they tell and the communities they engage.
The Road Ahead: Lacoste’s Place in the Fashion Ecosystem
With “The Locker Room,” Lacoste reaffirms its relevance in a competitive landscape. The brand’s willingness to experiment with format, concept, and sound positions it as a leader in the evolving dialogue between sport and style.
Pelagia Kolotouros’s vision is clear: Lacoste is not content to be a relic of tennis clubs past. Instead, it’s building a future where athletic heritage and modern identity intersect—where the locker room is not a place of separation, but of connection.
As fashion continues to wrestle with questions of accessibility, sustainability, and cultural meaning, Lacoste’s SS26 show offers a model for how heritage brands can innovate without losing their core. The world watched, listened, and—most importantly—participated. In doing so, the maison has taken a bold step into fashion’s new frontier.
Conclusion: More Than a Runway, a Cultural Statement
Lacoste’s Spring/Summer 2026 Paris Fashion Week presentation was more than a showcase of clothing; it was an invitation to rethink the boundaries of sport, style, and community. By centering “The Locker Room” as both site and symbol, the brand challenged audiences to see fashion as a process of transformation—personal, collective, and global.
In a season defined by uncertainty and innovation, Lacoste’s approach stands out: accessible yet exclusive, rooted yet restless. As the digital applause fades and the world awaits the next chapter, one thing is certain—Lacoste’s locker room is open, and the future of fashion is anyone’s game.
