Inside Lacoste’s Seriously Packed Crocoliga Final

There are subtle ways to tell whether an event has gone well. Then there’s having to kick everybody out at the end.

When Lacoste, Highsnobiety, and Zalando brought the Crocoliga final to Berlin, the city showed up ready to play. What began as a celebration of table tennis’ unlikely cultural resurgence quickly turned into a packed clubhouse where the rallies lasted late and, apparently, nobody felt particularly inclined to go home.

Created by Lacoste, Highsnobiety, and Zalando, Crocoliga spent the summer traveling through three of Europe’s creative capitals. Obby & Jappari led the Berlin team, Dar Studio rallied Paris, and Fritto FM represented Milan, with each collective holding a hometown tournament to uncover its sharpest local player. The winners, Killian from Berlin, Nathan from Paris, and Giacomo from Milan, then met at Highsnobiety’s UDL space to decide who possessed Europe’s deadliest backhand.

The wider Lacoste collection is available to explore on Zalando.

For the final, the space became part championship arena, part very well-dressed clubhouse. Giant table tennis balls filled the windows, while collective banners and trophies traced the project’s journey across the continent. At the center sat the main event: a Lacoste-green table built on a concrete base and finished with an aluminum net.

Host Tsellot kept the matches moving as the three finalists competed for Crocoliga’s first title, backed by their team captains and a crowd packed tightly around the court. Flip scores turned, sneakers squeaked, and every match point drew the room a little closer to the table.

In the end, Milan took the crown. Fritto FM’s hometown champion Giacomo outplayed the competition to become Crocoliga’s first-ever winner, securing the title for his city alongside a gold medal, trophy, and bespoke racket-and-ball case.

Lacoste’s sporting heritage also ran through the players’ uniforms. In collaboration with @LudioStudio, artist Lucie created three bespoke embroidered Lacoste polo shirts, each translating one collective’s design into a piece made for its city team.

Elsewhere, Lacoste Icons appeared throughout the space, from the polos worn by the finalists and captains to a dedicated product display. Open tables kept guests rallying between matches, while a deceptively difficult “ball-in-the-hole” challenge offered Lacoste prizes to anyone with the required precision. The Wall of Fame, meanwhile, gave every guest a podium moment.

Once Milan had lifted the trophy, Kikelomo took over the room. The tournament became a party, the clubhouse filled beyond capacity, and the event’s scheduled ending became more of a polite suggestion.

Half a century after Lacoste first developed equipment and apparel for table tennis, Crocoliga brought the Crocodile back to the game with a different kind of competitive energy.

Lacoste put table tennis where it belongs: at the center of community, competition, and culture.