René Lacoste started making his now iconic 12.12 polo shirt in 1933 to outfit himself and other tennis champions who wanted an alternative to the long-sleeved, starched white shirts and sweaters so common to the game during that era. The first 'crocodile' logo was drawn by Lacoste's friend Robert George in 1927, after an American journalist gave him that nickname for his tenacity on the court. Lacoste had this embroidered on his blazer and then used a modified version for his polo shirts, giving birth to both a legend and a logo. Lacoste won the French Open three times, in 1925, 1927 and 1929 when Roland-Garros Stadium was opened. This famed sporting event coincides with the KaDeWe installation, so LACOSTE has recreated a Central Court inside the atrium with stadium seating populated by mannequins dressed in its Spring/Summer 2008 collection. Film projections edited from the LACOSTE archives retrace the brand's history, while a capsule collection of clothing, bags, footwear, watches, fragrance and eyewear featuring the original logo with a contemporary tone-on-tone twist will be on sale. For the windows, LACOSTE has commissioned 11 Berlin artists to create artworks inspired by the brand's iconic 12.12 polo and crocodile logo. Gallery 12.12 will include sculptures, installations, paintings, film projections and mixed media by Dirk Bonn, Peter K. Koch, Maria Neumann, Peter Langer, Marok, Igor Paasch, Paul Snowden, Tagno, Anne Sofie Vistven, Kassandra Becker and (Brad Downey) Tofa. The art will be available via silent auction on line with the artists splitting the proceeds equally with StreetUniverCity berlin.