Coq Is It

By Karin Nelson
Fashion Wire Daily

Fashion Wire Daily NY May 27, 2003 - Le Coq Sportif is the latest activewear line to re-emerge on the style scene. And like Le Tigre, Penguin and Pony - the other animalistic labels before them - the French rooster has blown the dust off its archives and introduced a collection laden with references from the '70s and '80s.

Available for fall '03, the new Sportlifestyle Collection includes all the requisite on-the-go urban gear for those more likely to shop at Fred Segal than Foot Locker: there are slim-lined track jackets, sleek tapered jogging pants, urban-style bomber jackets, and off-the-shoulder jersey tops - all in earthy '70s hues like moss green and rust. And, for when folks need to hightail it across town with their portfolios in hand, Le Coq Sportif has also introduced a line of two-tone bowling bags, messenger totes with a space for the cell phone, and highly stylized sneakers in boxing, bowling, and cycling styles.

Le Coq Sportif first crowed in 1948, when Emile Camuset -- one of the foremost figures in sportswear manufacturing -- began offering sports jerseys and track suits with the rooster (symbolizing France) in a triangle logo, which recalls the familial tie between Camuset and his son and daughter. A true player in the sports world, the company went on to sponsor the Tour de France, the European Cup and tennis star Yannick Noah.

Now in its fourth ownership (the brand was sold in 1966 to Adidas; in 1995 to Brown Shoe Company; and in 1998 to French entrepreneurs Olivier Jacques, Henri Ellenbach, and Gerard Bootz), Le Coq Sportif is ready to reinstate itself as the preeminent French athletic brand. Based in Sausheim, France, the label is sold in over 50 countries; and, for the first time in 20 years, it's available in the U.S. The fall '03 footwear and activewear collection will retail at Barneys New York, Paragon Sports, Agnes B., and Transit NY.