On Monday, Le Coq Sportif unveiled its collaboration with Maradona. This initiative, accompanied by an event in Paris, celebrates the 40th anniversary- to the day- of the legendary FIFA. world cup match between Argentina and England, during which “El Pibe de Oro” both scored with his hand- “the Hand of God”- and embarked on a victorious run of more than 60 meters to score what is widely regarded as the most iconic goal of the 20th century- all while wearing a Le Coq Sportif shirt.
For the French brand, which was acquired last year by a team led by Swiss entrepreneur Dan Mamane, this announcement marks the realization of the new management team’s ambitions, headed by Alexandre Fauvet, formerly of Lacoste and Fusalp.
“We couldn’t have asked for anything better to mark a unique moment in sporting history. It was a timeless instant, indelibly etched, that transcends sport. When Maradona walked off the pitch after those two goals, he spoke of divine inspiration. And in fact, that was truly the birth of a legend,” explains Alexandre Fauvet, CEO of the brand for nearly a year, who has partnered for the occasion with the Maradona brand- launched this year by five heirs of the former Ballon d’Or winner, who passed away in 2020- in collaboration with Ash Pournouri’s Swedish company Electa Globale.
This collection comprises eight pieces designed by the creative teams led by Carin Wester at Maradona and Pascal Monfort at Le Coq Sportif, intended to be worn both on the pitch and in everyday urban life. Inspired by the Argentina shirt worn by Diego Maradona during the World Cup in Mexico, the line adopts a color palette combining off-white, two shades of sky blue and a deep slate blue. The full range includes T-shirts, jerseys, zip-up hoodies, classic sweatshirts, shorts, and trousers. It is available at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés flagship and online.
For both brands, it is a timely spotlight, coinciding with the Argentina national team’s World Cup match and on the eve of the opening of Paris Men’s Fashion Week.
It’s a pivotal moment, as the CEO seeks to accelerate the turnaround of the French brand. “For me, having grown up in the Lacoste culture, this brand is a myth. I came to know it through the Olympic Games. It is a truly global brand, and it was the first to be steeped in the world of Pierre de Coubertin,” says the executive, noting that Le Coq Sportif was founded in 1882 and pioneered the tracksuit. “We are among those who position sport as a way of life. That, too, is the legacy of Paris 2024- another way of seeing sport.”
This vision entails elevating the brand, a process initiated last year. The first signs of this new tone are visible, notably via a shop-in-shop corner at Citadium in Paris, inaugurated a few months ago. To build this, Le Coq Sportif has called on style specialists such as Pascal Monfort.
“I’m not alone in this work,” the sportswear specialist notes. “The first step was to diagnose strengths and weaknesses- understanding what the brand evokes today in order to write tomorrow. One standout finding was its global recognition with an exceptional emotional bond. And we have revived the training logo. We’re seeing positive signals everywhere for Le Coq to crow again. The second step was to define how to take it further. Alexandre brought in people from fashion who have a feel for sport. For me, that’s 1,000 times better. than the reverse. A strategy of elevation is not necessarily about increasing prices, but about being more exacting in our products and in all the brand’s actions.”
The stakes are high. Management notes that in recent years Le Coq Sportif generated more than 80% of its revenue (€124 million in 2023) in France, primarily from men with an average age of 45. The aim now is to diversify, rejuvenate and feminise the customer base. Early initiatives are encouraging. “Our intuition is that the brand’s revival will be driven by women,” explains Alexandre Fauvet. “When we created the capsule with Dominique Rocheteau around the 1976 shirt, we produced 200 shirts and received 3,500 pre-orders. Above all, we reached a majority of 25-35 year-olds, and a majority of women. We are putting our methodology in place to roll out our stories.”
The task now is to identify those stories. On the product side, the initial work has focused on the lifestyle range and on footwear, which already accounts for 60% of the €50 million in revenue projected for 2026; Organizationally, management has “reviewed everything, with new tools and new processes to deliver the necessary flexibility.” By the CEO’s own admission, the transformation is radical for the company and its 140 employees, split between the Paris offices and its prototyping and production unit in Romilly-sur-Seine.
The Romilly-sur-Seine site is one of the company’s development priorities, as is the introduction of performance products. “Today we don’t have any technical products. The brand was making colossal investments in sponsorship without selling technical product. Now, our objective is to capitalize on the know-how developed for the Olympic Games to build ranges. But that requires innovation and research and development. We cannot be legitimate in this arena if we don’t offer a performance range.” The brand also intends to relaunch its industrial activity in France, reconnecting with former partners such as France Teinture, with the long-term ambition of producing 15% of its range domestically.
In France, the brand aims to maintain “a ‘popular’ relationship” with its customers. The ties forged in the past with Intersport will be strengthened, with a 30% rebound expected for spring–summer 2027, according to management. The brand has also opened discussions with key retailers such as Decathlon and Foot Locker regarding its clothing range.
Internationally, the brand is beginning to sign new partnerships, as recently in Spain. The United States, which already accounts for 10% of the brand’s e-commerce activity, is set to gain a new distributor soon, while discussions are under way in the Middle East and India. Nevertheless, management’s ambition—which, upon the company’s relaunch, was announced as targeting €300 million by 2030—remains measured, with a focus on controlled growth. For 2027, the company is targeting revenue of €65 million.
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