Izod and Lacoste are two seperate brands. Izod began in the 20th-century in London. The name acquired prestige and an American businessman, Vin Draddy, bought the name to start his own company in America. Lacoste was started by Rene Lacoste, a famous tennis player in 1933 in France. Izod acquired the license to produce Lacoste clothing in the U.S. These were known as Izod Lacoste. This partnership lasted until the mid 1990s, when Lacoste refused to extend its license to Izod on the grounds that Izod was not producing Izod Lacoste items to Lacoste quality standards.
