Fashion meets motorsport: the Alpine A290 wears 290 crocodiles

© Lacoste

Lacoste and Alpine have brought together fashion, motorsport and electric mobility in a single project — the Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye. It is a one-off electric hot hatch, set to be unveiled in Paris alongside a capsule clothing collection.

The centerpiece of the project is Lacoste’s signature crocodile. A total of 290 emblems have been worked into the car: on the steering wheel, the padded door panels and even integrated into the design of the rear spoiler. For the collaboration, this is more than decoration — it is an attempt to turn the car into a style object as recognizable as the brand’s polos or caps.

The A290 Rallye itself gets widened tracks, pronounced wheel arches, prominent fenders, a massive diffuser and a roof air intake. The exterior is finished in a cool blue, while the cabin is done in a deep red. Lacoste describes it as if the driver were literally stepping «into the crocodile’s mouth». The seats and door cards are trimmed in the brand’s signature petit piqué fabric, the same material long associated with Lacoste apparel.

The project is accompanied by a short film, «Le Test», featuring Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly and actor Pierre Niney. In it, the car is presented not as a production novelty but as an object sitting between sport, humor and French lifestyle. The campaign is titled Beware of the Crocodile.

In parallel, Lacoste and Alpine are releasing a capsule collection: polos, T-shirts, light outerwear, caps and key rings. Sales kick off on July 30 on Lacoste’s European site, at the flagship stores in Paris and London, and at boutiques in Le Mans and Monaco — cities directly tied to racing culture.

For Alpine, such a tie-up is as useful as it is for Lacoste. The electric A290 needs to be more than just a compact EV; it has to carry the brand’s sporting image. Pairing up with a fashion label helps push the car beyond the usual automotive audience and turn it into part of urban culture.

It is a clear example of how the marketing of electric cars is shifting. Such projects used to be built around power, batteries and acceleration; now they are increasingly built around image and belonging. The Alpine Lacoste A290 Rallye is unlikely to move the sales needle directly, but it does something important: it presents an electric car not as a gadget but as an object of desire.