Lacoste continues to straddle fashion and sport, and its agency, BETC Paris, continues to play with that marriage in a new campaign featuring the brand’s sport ambassadors and Lacoste items in an unexpected way. The new global campaign follows last year’s Play it Big, using wit and art again to create a visual imagery that underlines the brand’s status. Featured this year are Novak Djokovic, Pierre Niney & Wang Yibo (all sporting the iconic Lacoste polo), Venus Williams (wearing the pleated skirt), and Adele Exarchopoulos (with the new Lenglen bag).

The campaign, shot by American photographer, Tyler Mitchell, elevates key brand symbols, for example, crafting Venus William’s tennis ball in mother of pearl, spraying Novak Djokovic’s tennis net in gold, and transforming a gradient of blue polos into flowers for Wang Yibo to give an unexpected, memorable new perspective on Lacoste’s DNA.

“We imagined a series of tableaux where Play with Icons would take on an epic, fashion-forward, and offbeat dimension, embodied by incredible champions, actors, and singers who joined in the ‘game’,” stated Agnès Cavard, associate creative director and art director, BETC.

“King of tennis, Venus of the court, stars of the screen or master of style – playing with icons makes them even more iconic and closer to people’s hearts. We are proud to be part of Lacoste’s ever-creative story,” added Bertille Toledano, president, BETC.

The campaign films are created as slow-motion tableaux, set to a playful score by French composer, Emile Sornin, that appears to stretch and bend, elevating the sense of witty cool. Set design by Poppy Bartlett and styling by Imruh Asha, add a sharp, colourful, and fashion-forward vision.

Play With Icons is running globally across print, television, digital and flagship Lacoste locations worldwide.