Dolfin Swimwear is an American company that manufactures and sells competitive and recreational

swimwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, wom ...

. The brand is well known for its "Dolfin Uglies" product line, which features brightly colored swimsuits in a wide range of designs. In 2015, Dolfin released the Titanium Technical swimsuit, a high-tech competition swimsuit designed for elite racing. Other products include apparel, swimming accessories,

water aerobics Water aerobics (waterobics, aquarobics, aquatic fitness, aquafitness, aquafit) is the performance of aerobic exercise in water such as in a swimming pool. It is done mostly vertically and without swimming typically in waist deep or deeper water. W ...

gear and

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

swimwear. Dolfin, founded in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1941, is a subsidiary of Jade Swimwear, L.P. The company's headquarters are in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.

History

The company was founded in 1941 as Reading Airchutes Inc., a manufacturer of cargo parachutes for the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

. It became a leading supplier of cargo and bomb parachutes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with over 500 employees, most of whom were women with relatives serving in the military. In 1945, the company was renamed after Jean Vernon, an employee who took a leave of absence during the war to serve in the

United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

, otherwise known as SPARS. Vernon was recognized by the U.S. Navy for her bravery after weathering the 1945 Homestead hurricane while stationed in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Under its new name, the company began manufacturing and distributing silk and nylon lingerie. In 1958, the company expanded into the competitive swimwear market and began manufacturing nylon swimsuits for racing under the brand name Dolfin - named for its association with the aquatic mammal. In the 1960s, Dolfin introduced a line of track uniforms made out of the nylon/tricot fabric the company used in its swimsuits at the time. The running uniforms were created at the request of a group of track coaches who wanted a replacement material for the heavier wool and jersey uniforms that were in use at the time. Dolfin continued to sell track clothing throughout the 1970s and 1980s, while maintaining production of swimsuits. Dolfin International Corporation was purchased by Phantom Industries Inc., later renamed Jade Swimwear L.P., in 2008. In 2016, Jade Swimwear was purchased by GK Elite Sportswear ( fr), maker of gymnastics clothing, which, in turn, is an affiliate of the private equity group

The Riverside Company ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. Dolfin introduced a new logo in 2014 that will be incorporated on all Dolfin products starting in 2016, Dolfin's 75th anniversary year.

Dolfin Uglies

Dolfin began in the early 2000s to see increased demand for the promotional prints swimsuits suits featuring bright colors and unique designs that the company initially had struggled to sell each year. The "Uglies" term was coined by customers who requested the unique, eye-popping printed swimsuits. The success of the Dolfin Uglies line increased Dolfin Swimwear's presence in the competitive swimwear market.

Dolfin Titanium Technical Suit

Dolfin released its Titanium Tech suit in January 2015. The high-tech suit's "4-stage framing system" employs welding to control major muscle groups and to stabilize water displacement zones, compression liner that targets large muscle zones, woven fibers to increase strength and decrease weight, and hydrophobic-coated fibers to repel water - reducing water absorbency and drag.

References

External links

* {{Competitive swimwear Swimwear brands Swimwear manufacturers 1970s fashion Clothing brands

History

Dolfin Uglies

Dolfin Titanium Technical Suit

See also

References

External links