Lacoste, Paris

Lacoste Chaussures, a leading global sports and lifestyle footwear brand, enlisted Rock Townsend to design a combined workspace and showroom that reflected the company’s values while addressing their growing spatial and functional needs. The new environment was envisioned as an inspiring, collaborative space for staff and visitors, befitting Lacoste's brand identity.

The existing premises fell short in both functionality and brand representation. Low levels of natural light, poor ventilation, and an uninspiring atmosphere dampened staff morale. Additionally, the physical separation of executive offices from other staff created a hierarchical and inflexible working environment, hindering collaboration and efficiency.

The redesigned space is an open, uplifting environment accommodating 20 additional staff, along with key functions such as sales and marketing, operations, finance, and HR. A dedicated showroom was integrated to provide a dynamic, immersive setting for client interactions.

The design establishes two distinct areas with unique architectural languages, tailored to their purposes:

Workspace Area embraces a studio aesthetic to foster creativity.

Avoids excessive branding, instead celebrating the building's industrial heritage.

Negotiated alterations to the landlord’s original CAT A specification to enhance the raw, exposed aesthetic, retaining characterful elements like cast iron columns, riveted beams, and brick barrel-vaulted soffits.

Utilized a minimal material palette with glazed screens for openness, muted colors, and exposed mechanical and electrical services to highlight original architectural features.

Showroom Area embodies a more branded and bespoke modern fit-out.

Incorporates design elements inspired by Lacoste’s product materials and techniques, such as piqué, mesh, clean lines, and vibrant colours.

Features include ‘piqué’-style shoe displays, integrated seating, and a history wall, creating a tactile and engaging brand experience.

The project was completed within a compressed nine-month timeframe, encompassing site appraisals, briefing, design, construction, and occupation. The design team worked closely with Lacoste to ensure all elements met the brand's vision while addressing technical and operational needs.

The resulting workplace and showroom strike a balance between honouring the building’s industrial past and reflecting Lacoste’s modern brand ethos. For staff, the space fosters creativity and collaboration in a studio-like environment. For visitors, it offers a polished, immersive brand experience, underscoring Lacoste’s heritage and technical innovation.