Crocodile International Pte Ltd. or simply Crocodile is a garments company based in Singapore.
History
Crocodile International was founded in 1947 in British Singapore by Tan Hian Tsin.[1] Tan is an immigrant from Swatow, China whose family has been involved in the garment trade including the manufacturing of knitting machines.[2]
Crocodile would open its first factory in British Hong Kong in 1953. By 2016, the fashion brand has 3,000 outlets in 14 countries.[3]
Brand image
The crocodile has been chosen to represent Crocodile International's branding for being a "very tough animal" with a long lifespan. This is connected to Tan's vision for the "long life of the company". The logo of Crocodile International features the reptile facing left.[2] The logo was made in 1947 by Tan and is accompanied by his handwriting.[4]
Dispute with Lacoste
The brand has faced various intellectual property rights disputes with French fashion brand Lacoste, which features a right-facing crocodile, over similarities of their logo.[2] Legal cases has been filed in China,[4] Myanmar, Japan, and the Philippines.[5][6]
Crocodile International and Lacoste have an existing agreement dated 1983 to have their brands coexist in certain markets.[5]
References
- Crocodile sponsors Golf The Sunday Times, Wijeya Newspapers Ltd., retrieved 17 September 2024^
- Chai Hung Yin. Made in S'pore...and proud of it The New Paper, 10 August 2014, retrieved 17 September 2024^
- Jae-heun Kim. Crocodile launches 2016 F/W collection show in Seoul The Korea Times, 4 September 2016, retrieved 17 September 2024^
- Crocodile tears or smiles? China Daily, 8 December 2003, retrieved 17 September 2024^
- Chloe Mari Hufana. SC sides with Crocodile Int’l in Lacoste lawsuit BusinessWorld, 15 September 2024, retrieved 17 September 2024^
- Jane Bautista. Lacoste loses ‘battle of crocs’ Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 September 2024, retrieved 17 September 2024^