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Speedo International Limited is a distributor of
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 ...
and swim-related accessories based in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, England, known for its
swim briefs. The company has roots in Australia but is no longer based there. Founded in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1914 by
Alexander MacRae, a Scottish emigrant, the industry-leading company is now a subsidiary of the British
Pentland Group
Pentland Group is a British privately owned global company that owns and invests in, primarily, retail and wholesale businesses in the sports, outdoor and sports fashion sectors. The Group is the majority shareholder of JD Sports, which operate ...
. Today, the Speedo brand can be found on products ranging from swimsuits and goggles to wristwatches.
The Speedo brand was previously manufactured for and marketed in North America as Speedo USA by
PVH, under an exclusive perpetual licence,
which had acquired prior licensee
Warnaco Group
The Warnaco Group, Inc. was an American Textile industry, textile/clothing corporation which designed, sourced, marketed, Brand licensing, licensed, and distributed a wide range of underwear, Sportswear (fashion), sportswear, and swimwear world ...
in 2013. As of January 2020, the Pentland Group purchased back the rights from PVH for $170 million in cash, subject to regulatory approval.
In accordance with its Australian roots, Speedo uses a
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
as their symbol. Due to their success in the swimwear industry, the word "Speedo" has become synonymous with racing bathing suits.
History
Speedo Knitting Mills
![1932 Aus Olympic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/1932_Aus_Olympic.jpg)
Company founder
Alexander MacRae emigrated from
Loch Kishorn
Loch Kishorn ( gd, Ciseòrn) is a sea loch in the north-west Highlands of Scotland.
Kishorn is a collective name used to refer to a group of populated settlements located next to the loch.
Topography
Loch Kishorn is a northern branch of Loch C ...
in the western
Highlands of Scotland
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
to Sydney, Australia in 1910. Originally working as a
milkman
Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...
, he founded ''MacRae and Company Hosiery'' four years later, manufacturing
underwear
Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
under the
brand name
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
''Fortitude'' (taken from his
family crest
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after t ...
).
The
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
's need for socks during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
provided MacRae with enough business to expand and in 1927 his first line of swimwear, called a "racer-back costume" was introduced. The following year, a naming contest held among the MacRae staff yielded the slogan "Speed on in your Speedos." The brand name was born. The contest winner, Captain Parsonson, was awarded £5 for his slogan and the company was renamed ''Speedo Knitting Mills''.
The controversial yet revolutionary
racerback
Competitive swimwear refers to the swimsuit, clothing, equipment, and accessories used in the aquatic sports of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, triathlon, and water polo.
Some swimsuits are designed specifically for swimming competit ...
style's open shoulder and exposed back allowed greater range of motion in water and was quickly adopted by
competitive swimmers, despite being banned by some beaches.
In 1932, Speedo made its Olympic debut when 16-year old Australian
Clare Dennis
Clara "Clare" Dennis (7 March 1916 – 5 June 1971), later known by her married name Clare Golding, was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1930s who won the gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los ...
won the
Women's 200 Meter Breaststroke at the
Los Angeles Olympic Games. After nearly being disqualified for "showing too much shoulder" in her regulation silk Speedo brand swimsuit, Dennis went on to set a world record time of 3:06.3.
The
1936 Berlin Summer Games also saw some controversy as the men's Australian swim team featured shirtless swim trunks for the first time. Also in 1936, Alexander MacRae became involved in the
Surf Life Saving Association. To this day, Speedo continues to support the Australian volunteer organisation.
Post-War expansion
After devoting most of its resources to the
War effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...
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 ...
, Speedo enjoyed a great
post-war
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
demand for swimsuits, specifically the recently invented
bikini
A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coveri ...
style. The company quickly reestablished itself as a leader in swimwear manufacturing and once again drew controversy when its two-piece was banned by Australian beach inspectors.
In 1951, Speedo Knitting Mills (Holdings) Ltd.
incorporated and
went public, selling its stock on the
Sydney Stock Exchange.
In 1955, nylon was used for the first time in the company's swimsuits
and the next year, the increasingly popular swimsuit brand returned to the Olympics when its home country hosted the
Melbourne Summer Games.
The Speedo sponsored
Australian men's swim team took home eight
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
s
and brought a new worldwide level of notoriety to the company which debuted the
swim briefs that would become synonymous with the brand name. By 1957, Speedo had the exclusive licence to manufacture and distribute
Jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
brand men's underwear in Australia.
The company finished off the 1950s by exporting to the United States and exploring potential opportunities in South America, Europe, New Zealand and Japan.
The end of the 1950s also saw the beginning of a long-lasting business partnership which continues to this day. In 1958, Speedo began the manufacture of American
Warnaco's White Stag
A white stag (or white hind for the female) is a white-colored red deer, wapiti, sika deer, chital, fallow deer, roe deer, white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, reindeer, moose, or rusa, explained by a condition known as leucism that causes i ...
ski-wear line. In exchange, in 1961, White Stag became the exclusive US distributor of Speedo swimwear. Through White Stag, Speedo's product line expanded to include men's and women's sportswear.
By the middle of the 1960s, Speedo had acquired 30% of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, UK textile manufacturer ''Robert Shaw and Company Ltd.'' and had established a European subsidiary. Licences were also granted to Japanese and South American corporations.
The
1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics saw 27 of the 29 gold medalists—22 of which set world records—wearing Speedo brand swimsuits.
Speedo began the next decade by completing its acquisition of Robert Shaw and Company in 1971.
The 1970s also saw the company pioneer the use of
elastane (spandex) and the brand's use in Olympic record breaking continued at the
1972 Munich and
1976 Montreal games, the latter of which Speedo was an official swimwear licensee.
On
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
, 26 January 1981 the
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
opened in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, with Speedo as its first official sponsor.
Also early in the decade, Speedo provided equipment and training to China
to aid the communist country's return to the Olympics for first time since 1958.
Throughout the decade, the brand expanded its reach in Europe by licensing production in Italy, Spain, Sweden and other nations, bringing its total distribution to 112 countries.
Modern technology
In 1990, British sportswear firm
Pentland Group
Pentland Group is a British privately owned global company that owns and invests in, primarily, retail and wholesale businesses in the sports, outdoor and sports fashion sectors. The Group is the majority shareholder of JD Sports, which operate ...
, which had just sold its shares of sneaker company
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
, acquired a significant stake in Warnaco offshoot Authentic Fitness, which was the exclusive North American licensee of Speedo. Pentland followed this move with the purchase of 80% of Speedo (Europe) Ltd. Early the next year, Pentland completed its aggressive entrance into the global swimwear market by wholly acquiring Speedo Australia and Speedo International.
Under Pentland's ownership, Speedo expanded its line of swimwear to include more fashion-oriented beachwear as well as
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
accessories.
![Unveiling of LZR Racer in NYC 2008-02-13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Unveiling_of_LZR_Racer_in_NYC_2008-02-13.jpg)
The 1990s saw the creation of the low-drag S2000 suit, the
chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...
resistant Endurance line as well as the Aquablade series which was worn by more than three-fourths of medal winners at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.
Speedo began the 21st century with the introduction of its Fastskin swimsuit and, again, broke world records when the Summer Games returned to the swimwear leader's home town. The company website boasts that 13 out of the 15 swimming records broken in the
2000 Sydney Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
were by athletes wearing Speedo.
Three years later, Speedo celebrated its 75th anniversary with special limited edition lines endorsed by
Jerry Hall
Jerry Faye Hall (born July 2, 1956) is an American model and actress. She began modelling in the 1970s and became one of the most sought after models in the world. She transitioned into acting, appearing in the 1989 film ''Batman''. Hall was th ...
,
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
and others. In 2004,
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
wore the Fastskin II, the latest evolution of the Fastskin series,
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
to become the first swimmer to earn eight medals.
Phelps followed up this performance four years later, earning eight golds
at
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, while wearing Speedo's LZR Racer suit
In 2010, the company launched Speedo Sculpture ShapeLine, a new line of body-shaping swimsuits for women.
Products
![Speedo, 41-43 Neal Street, Covent Garden 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Speedo%2C_41-43_Neal_Street%2C_Covent_Garden_01.jpg)
Although the brand name Speedo is often
genericised to refer to any style of men's swim briefs, these account for less than 2% of the company's sales.
The Speedo name can be found on a wide range of swimsuit styles for men, women, and children focusing on performance and style. Speedo also offers a range of sportswear, footwear, and accessories ranging from swim goggles to electronics. Additionally, Speedo International offers a line of men's underwear and Speedo Australia features a line of underwear called ''Speedo Underbody'' for men and women, sold only in select
David Jones retail stores.
Accessories
Speedo offers a broad range of swim accessories including more than seventy models of goggles,
several models of watches, sunglasses, and towels. In addition, Speedo offers several lines of
aquatic fitness aids and swim aids for children and adults as well as
scuba
Scuba may refer to:
* Scuba diving
** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving
* Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook
* Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...
masks,
snorkels and
swimfins
Swimfins, swim fins, diving fins, or flippers are finlike accessories worn on the feet, legs or hands and made from rubber, plastic, carbon fiber or combinations of these materials, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities s ...
. Speedo International offers a line of beach games equipment not offered on the SpeedoUSA website.
Footwear
The Speedo brand can be found on a wide variety of footwear including sandals,
flip-flops
Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both side ...
, and water shoes. Speedo USA offers waterproof sneakers for aqua fitness training.
Speedo Digital
The Speedo Digital line of accessories includes the waterproof Aquabeat and LZR Racer Aquabeat digital music players and related accessories, which are manufactured by South Korean consumer electronics company
Iriver.
Speedo's electronics offerings also include the Auquashot waterproof
digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile device ...
.
Swimwear
Speedo USA's men's collections are categorised as: Competition, Racing,
Boardshorts
Boardshorts are a type of swimwear and casual wear in the form of relatively long (approximately knee length) loose-fitting shorts that are designed to be quick-drying and are generally made from strong and smooth polyester or nylon material. Or ...
and
Swim Trunks
Swim trunks, also known as swimming trunks, are a form of swimsuit - clothing worn specifically for swimming. As such, they are usually made of materials specifically designed for being wet and remaining comfortable and hydrodynamic to not impede ...
, Fashion, and
Lifeguard
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...
.
Speedo International's men's offerings also include wetsuits.
Both Speedo USA and Speedo International also offer a wide range of children's styles including performance, racing, fashion and beginner lines.
Controversial technology
Swim records were broken in Speedo brand silk suits in the 1930s, and the company was the first to introduce the use of nylon in the 1950s
and later nylon/elastane in the 1970s.
Speedo's most recent technological advances are found in the Fastskin, Fastskin FS II series and the LZR Racer suit.
Throughout the company's history, though, it seemed each design innovation was met with great controversy.
Clare Dennis
Clara "Clare" Dennis (7 March 1916 – 5 June 1971), later known by her married name Clare Golding, was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1930s who won the gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los ...
was nearly disqualified from her record-breaking Olympic meet because her suit showed too much skin;
early Speedo bikinis were banned from some Australian beaches;
more recently, the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
technology in the LZR Racer suit
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
wore at the
Beijing Olympics was the subject of great media scrutiny.
Fastskin
In 2000, British designer and former competitive swimmer
Fiona Fairhurst
Fiona Fairhurst, born in 1971, is accredited with the design of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit. Fairhurst herself was a competitive swimmer until the age of 16 and this provided her with some background within the swimming industry. Fairhurst studi ...
was named as a finalist for
European Inventor of the Year
The European Inventor Award(formerly European Inventor of the Year Award, renamed in 2010), are presented annually by the European Patent Office, sometimes supported by the respective Presidency of the Council of the European Union and by the Euro ...
. Fairhurst helped Speedo's Aqualab design team invent the first-of-its-kind Fastskin swimsuit. Inspired by the varying skin texture of a
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...
, Fairhurst told the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
that she was "looking to develop a fabric that mimics nature".
Both the Fastskin and Fastkskin FS II are textured with bumps and ridges in key places, similar to those on a shark's skin. These ridges are claimed to channel the water over the swimmer's body in a more efficient manner than traditional material suits.
However, research in 2012 has suggested that the artificial sharkskin patterning does not benefit human swimmers, whose body movement is different from sharks.
In addition, the suits are custom designed for the type of
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
the swimmer will use as well as being engineered differently for women and for men. These high-tech suits make use of elastic compression materials to limit muscle oscillation and to compress the swimmer's body, while in other areas a more flexible fabric is used to allow greater range of motion. Leaving no detail overlooked, the design team also uses low-profile seams. According to author Frank Vizard, the Fastskin suits reduce drag by up to four percent.
Speedo adapted this new fabric technology for the
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
.
The full-bodied Fastskin FSII Ice suits were debuted by the
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
winning
American women's bobsled team.
By the time the bobsledders were given the opportunity to don their Fastskin suits, the line had already gone through several evolutions including the Fastskin FS-II and Fastskin FS-Pro. From the very beginning, these drag reducing suits were met with great resistance. At issue was
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) rule 10.7, which stated "No swimmer shall use any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy, or endurance during a competition (such as webbed gloves, flippers, fins etc). Goggles may be worn".
Early in 2000, Speedo hand-delivered their new Fastskin suits to 150 Olympic hopefuls and promised 6,000 more would be made available for Olympic trials. Fearing the possibility of Speedo-clad race winners being stripped of medals due to challenges, the
Australian Olympic Committee
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
(AOC) asked the
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
to examine the legality of the FINA-sanctioned suits.
In May that year, a CAS-appointed arbitrator backed the FINA ruling allowing use of the suits for Olympic tryouts. Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, however, said in a press conference that their swimmers would be allowed to wear the futuristic neck to ankle covering suits, but would do so "at their own risk".
Coates later stated that the ruling he sought was whether the suits should be classified as costumes or devices.
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
Exercise
Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness.
It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...
and
Nutritional science
Nutritional science (also nutrition science, sometimes short ''nutrition'', dated trophology) is the science that studies the physiological process of nutrition (primarily human nutrition), interpreting the nutrients and other substances in food ...
s at
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
, Brent S. Rushall claimed in a report sent to CAS that the suits were – by FINA's definition and based on manufacturer's claims – in fact devices, rather than costumes
and are therefore in violation of the FINA rule, which disallows equipment such as fins or flippers. In the report, Rushall equally criticises
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
(who had a similarly designed bodysuit) and Speedo for giving FINA members ''
presents'' and declares that these members should recuse themselves from ruling on the legality of these suits.
Ultimately, the suits were approved for use in the Sydney Olympics and in December 2000 the super-suit earned a place on ''
Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
's'' "100 Best of What's New", alongside the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
's
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
replacement and
Kodak's Smart Digital Picture Frame with built-in
modem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
.
Four years later, the FSII debuted in the Athens summer games. While this next stage in swimwear evolution was quickly approved by FINA, it was not without controversy. Speedo competitor
TYR developed a similar full body suit with detached sleeves, which the company calls Aqua Bands. Both TYR's detached Aqua bands and Speedo FSII's attached sleeves are designed to essentially "grip" the water on the inner forearm. TYR maintained that essentially the only difference between their suit and Speedo's was whether the sleeves were attached. Despite this, FINA did not approve TYR's armbands.
In 2004, 47 medals were won by swimmers wearing Fastskin II.
In late 2011, in time for the holiday season, Speedo introduced a new Fastskin3 suit. This suit comes in two styles, Elite and Super Elite. Speedo developed the Fastskin3 as a racing "system", consisting of a newly introduced cap, goggles, and competition suit. Michael Phelps is the principal advertiser for the Fastskin3 line of suits, as Ryan Lochte has been reported to prefer the older Fastskin LZR Elite suits. In succession to the LZR Pro and Elite, Speedo switched the branding for their technical suits from "Fastskin LZR Racer" to "Fastskin", continuing the trend they left off in 2008 when they debuted the LZR Racer. The male suit is available as a normal-cut suit and a high-waisted suit that utilises the space in between the belly button and waist of the male swimmer. The core of Speedo's advertising campaign for the new line touted the benefits of "becoming one" with the suit. Speedo advertises up to 16.6% drag reduction and 11% improved oxygen economy. The system was sold featuring "fit point markers", allowing the swimmer to line up the suit, cap, and goggles to achieve an ideal fit and appearance. FINA approved this suit shortly after it was launched, and the suit was anticipated to be used at the London 2012 Olympics by a majority of athletes, along with the
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
PowerSkin Carbon Pro suit, which debuted in early 2012. However, a series of high-profile seam failures
and high costs for poor performance gain meant that the suit was a commercial failure. Most swimmers, including Phelps, ended up using a revamped version of the LZR Elite. The cap and a cut-down version of the "Super Elite" goggles are still sold today.
As of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Speedo's lineup of suits consisted of its flagship "LZR Racer X", known for an "x" pattern of silver kinetic taping; a second generation Elite dubbed the "LZR Elite 2"; and an entry-level "LZR Pro". The LZR X performed slightly better than the FS3 in terms of swimmer preference, but Speedo failed to capture much attention at the Games as
Mizuno
() is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for badminton, baseball, boxing, cycling ...
, a Japanese manufacturer, had introduced a new suit (the "GX-Sonic III") designed to circumvent the FINA regulations and aid the swimmer in new ways. Specifically, the Mizuno suit comes in two variants: a sprinter ("ST") variant with stiff taping on the inside of the suit along the hamstrings, designed to help the upbeat of a kick at the end of a race as a swimmer's energy fades, while the multi-racer ("MR") uses two layers of the FINA-approved textile to decrease air permeability drastically, thereby trapping considerable excess air and making a swimmer more buoyant just like with the original LZR Racer (see below). Not much marketing material has appeared in the West, as the GX-Sonic has only been primarily aimed at the small Japanese market and required special importing internationally, so there are no numerical performance claims available, but many unsigned standout swimmers like
Joseph Schooling
Joseph Isaac Schooling (born 16 June 1995) is a Singaporean professional swimmer who specialises in butterfly, freestyle and medley events. He was the gold medalist in the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics, achieving Singapore's first ev ...
(since signed by Speedo),
Caeleb Dressel
Caeleb Remel Dressel (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. He swims representing the Cali Condors as part of the International Swimming League. He won ...
(since signed by Speedo), and
Anthony Ervin
Anthony Lee Ervin (born May 26, 1981) is an American competition swimmer who has won four Olympic medals and two World Championship golds. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle, and earned a silver med ...
(signed by Finis but allowed to choose his own suit) chose to wear the Mizuno suit over any of Speedo's offerings and won many golds in that suit. Additionally, the de facto trademark appearance of some collegiate teams like the
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
at the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
National Championships is in Mizuno now, as opposed to Speedo.
To combat the rapid uprise of choosing Mizuno among high-performing swimmers, Speedo released a new lineup of suits in 2019, in advance of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dubbed the "LZR PURE" collection, the lineup consists of two suits: a new high-end LZR Pure Intent, designed to replace the LZR Racer X, borrowing many technologies like hamstring taping from Mizuno's suits, and intended to compete with Mizuno's ST variant of their GX-Sonic series; and a flexible LZR Pure Valor, designed to replace the LZR Elite 2 and compete with the dual-layered MR variant of the GX-Sonic series. Speedo has also released new goggles and a rebranded FS3 cap to go along with the launch.
LZR Racer
![NASA LZR Racer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/NASA_LZR_Racer.jpg)
Speedo's most controversial move came with 2008's unveiling of the LZR (pronounced "
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...
") Racer. The super smooth suit, which was optimised with the help of NASA
wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
s, uses welded seams and multiple woven fabrics to reduce drag by up to six percent.
In addition, the LZR, like the Fastskin, utilises a core stabiliser, which acts almost as a
girdle
A belt, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle if it is worn as part of Christian liturgical vestments, or in certain historical, literary or sports contexts.
Girdles are used to close a cassock in Christian denominations, including th ...
, to reduce muscle movement. This was designed to help the swimmer maintain the proper angle in the water for longer periods of time.
''
Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' magazine named the suit one of their "100 Best of What's New '08" list, calling it "The fastest swimsuit in the world".
Subsequent research revealed another reason for the suit's success: tiny air bubbles tended to be trapped between the swimmer's body and the suit, lifting the swimmer slightly so that they benefited from lower friction against air as compared to water.
Speedo's website boasts that the LZR Racer was "so fast, it was banned from competition".
Indeed, the LZR Racer was banned from international competition by FINA in 2009, along with all full-body polyurethane suits. Men's suits were also banned from extending above the waist or below the knee. Women's suits could not extend past the shoulders or go below the knee.
However, by that time, swimmers wearing the suit had already broken at least 46 world records.
FINA's ban on the LZR Racer and all "hi-tech" suits came shortly before Michael Phelps's 200 meter freestyle loss to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's
Paul Biedermann
Paul Biedermann (; born 7 August 1986) is a German retired competitive swimmer, a 200 and 400 metre freestyle long course world champion. He holds the long course and short course world records in the 200 meters freestyle, and the long course wo ...
at the 2009
FINA World Aquatics Championships
The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: Swimming (sport), swimming, Diving (sport), diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run b ...
in Rome, Italy. Wearing
Arena's polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...
X-Glide suit, Biedermann broke two world records that day
and beat Phelps by more than one second.
Even though FINA had already approved the ban, it had not been scheduled to go into effect until the following spring. The delay in FINA's hi-tech prohibition and Phelps's unexpected second-place finish (his first loss since 2005) led Phelps's coach
Bob Bowman to threaten a boycott of international swim competitions.
In the first three days of the eight-day competition, 15 world records were set.
The vague decision by swimming's governing body stated that suit materials would need to be textile, rather than
polymer
A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
-based, but offered no specific deadline for this changeover to occur.
The reason for the delay, FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told the
AP, is to give manufacturers enough time "to pass from polyurethane to textiles".
The ambiguity continued when FINA was unable to define textile.
The most specific aspect of the ruling returned men to bare chests and ladies to bare shoulders.
The current rule (GR 5.4), as posted on FINA's website, states "Before any swimwear of new design, construction or material is used in competition, the manufacturer of such swimwear must submit the swimwear to FINA and obtain approval of FINA".
Speedo's latest version of the LZR Racer series, the LZR Racer Elite, carries the FINA stamp of approval. The Elite series, like its predecessor utilises welded seams and compression material to sculpt the swimmer's body.
The SpeedoUSA website specifically denies the new generation of LZR Racers is a "quick fix".
The most recent list of FINA approved swimsuits, which was published in January 2011 lists 78 specific Speedo brand swimsuits among 45 worldwide brands and nearly 720 models. Among them, 71 are Fastskin models and 13 are LZR series suits.
Several Speedo designs have been removed from the FINA list including the original LZR Racer, and multiple Fastskin models.
FINA's ban on LZR Racers left Speedo with a significant surplus stock. The obsolete competition suits have found new life, though. London's
Chelsea College of Art and Design
Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation.
It offers further and higher educat ...
received a donation of 600 suits,
200 of which were turned into the Chelsea Xpo Pavilion as part of the 2010
London Festival of Architecture
The London Festival of Architecture is a festival specialized in architecture. It takes place annually in London, United Kingdom usually through the month of June. It features an extensive range of activities that focus on design and architectur ...
project.
The pavilion can be seen on the college's campus at the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground.
Another collaboration between Speedo and
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
netted a line of designer fashions. Teams of students from the
London College of Fashion
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...
,
University College Falmouth
Falmouth University ( kw, Pennskol Aberfal) is a specialist public university for the creative industries based in Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, England. Founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, it was later known as Falmouth College of Ar ...
and the
University of Huddersfield
, mottoeng = Thus not for you alone
, established = 1825 – Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute1992 – university status
, type = Public
, endowment = £2.47 million (2015)
, chancellor = George W. Buckley
, vice_chancel ...
have reused the material to create a complete fashion line including casual slacks, jackets, and even different forms of swimwear.
This was not the company's first foray into recycled high fashion, though. In September 2010,
sustainable fashion
Sustainable fashion (also known as eco-fashion) is a term describing products, processes, activities, and actors (policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on equality, social justice, animal ...
label, ''
From Somewhere'' announced a new line of dresses made from Speedo's surplus.
Online resources
YouTube channel
Speedo started its
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel dedicated to Speedo and its products specifically in the context of "life in and around the water" on 2 March 2007.
[Speedo International]
"Speedo International - About"
''YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
''. Retrieved 11 July 2021. One of the initial videos was aimed at journalists and providing them with a literal and virtual feel for what the athletes wearing the LZR Racer at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
felt by letting members of the media try the suits on in person in Beijing and sharing that experience virtually via YouTube.
[Speedo International (7 August 2008)]
"Beijing Media Swim"
''YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
''. Retrieved 11 July 2021. For swimmers, videos posted cover a wide range of topics including swimming technique overviews and breaking down the process of designing and making swimwear.
[Speedo International (24 July 2014)]
"Nathan Adrian , Freestyle Stroke - Swim Technique"
''YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
''. Retrieved 11 July 2021.[Speedo International (9 August 2016)]
"Meet the swimmers who product test Speedo Fastskin"
''YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
''. Retrieved 11 July 2021. Speedo's channel also features high profile athletes at different points of their journey as a professional swimmer such as at the end of a World Championships.
[Speedo International (1 August 2011)]
"Goodbye from Shanghai World Championships, Speedo"
''YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
''. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
Sponsorships
Olympic Committees
National teams
Speedo is the sponsor of several national swim teams.
Speedo also offers sponsorships to some High School and College (
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
,
NAIA,
Junior college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
) Leagues as well as non-profit recreation leagues such as
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
and
Boys and Girls Clubs.
Sponsored athletes
In addition to team and league sponsorships, these are the several celebrity athletes that are currently being sponsored by Speedo.
See also
*
High-technology swimwear fabric
High-technology swimwear, or tech suits, are scientifically advanced materials used for swimwear in competitive water sports such as swimming and triathlon. Materials of this type are normally spandex and nylon composite fabrics with features to re ...
*
List of generic and genericised trademarks
*
List of swimwear brands
This is a list of notable 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 ...
*
Tyr Sport, Inc.
TYR Sport, Inc. is an American designer, developer and manufacturer of competitive swim and triathlon apparel and related specialized athletics gear. It shares ownership with Swimwear Anywhere.
Company history
TYR was founded in Huntington Beach, ...
– Speedo's chief American competitor in the performance swimwear market.
*
Warnaco Group
The Warnaco Group, Inc. was an American Textile industry, textile/clothing corporation which designed, sourced, marketed, Brand licensing, licensed, and distributed a wide range of underwear, Sportswear (fashion), sportswear, and swimwear world ...
– Speedo's exclusive North American licensee
References
External links
*
{{Competitive swimwear
Clothing brands of Australia
Clothing brands of the United Kingdom
Australian companies established in 1914
Clothing companies established in 1914
Manufacturing companies based in Nottingham
PVH (company) clothing brands
Sporting goods brands
Sporting goods manufacturers of Australia
Sporting goods manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Sportswear brands
Swimwear manufacturers
Water polo equipment manufacturers