Lacoste partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, for its 2018 endangered-species campaign.
More specifically, the collaboration involved IUCN Save Our Species, an initiative connected with the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The partnership linked Lacoste’s instantly recognizable crocodile emblem with conservation awareness and fundraising for threatened wildlife.
Launched during Paris Fashion Week in 2018, the project replaced the crocodile on limited-edition polo shirts with embroidered images of ten Critically Endangered species. IUCN specialists helped identify the animals and supplied estimates of their remaining wild populations, which determined how many shirts were made for each design.
The point was not to permanently change Lacoste’s logo or claim that one campaign could solve extinction risks. It was a highly visible awareness effort designed to direct attention and support toward conservation projects. The name IUCN is the key quiz answer, while “IUCN Save Our Species” is the fuller name of the partner initiative.