Mens swimming costume by Speedo Australia
Object No. A10198
The Museum has an extensive collection of Speedo swimwear and accessories dating from the 1930s to the present including designs produced for the Australian Olympic Games team from 1964 to 2004, the Australian Commonwealth Games team from 1970-2002 and numerous international Olympic teams. This collection is complemented by the Speedo archive which includes scrapbooks, catalogues, posters, newsletters, stickers, photographs, video footage and badges. Speedo's origins lie in MacRae Knitting Mills, manufacturer of cotton and wool knitwear. They produced their first swimming costumes in Sydney, Australia in the late 1920s and in 1928 held a competition to find a name for their new swimwear line. So successful was a staff member's catchy slogan 'Speed on in your Speedo', they changed the company name to Speedo. From the beginning Speedo focussed their attention on producing competitive swimwear complemented by a range of leisure swimwear and knitted apparel and the Museum's Speedo collection and archive illustrates the evolution of swimwear styles and fabrics designed to reduce water resistance and enhance speed. By the 1980s most of the world's top competitive swimmers were competing in Speedo's. Glynis Jones Curator, Design and Society
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Summary
Object Statement
Swimming costume, part of collection, mens, wool / cotton / metal, designed and made by Speedo Australia Pty Ltd, Australia, c. 1935
Physical Description
Pair of mens black wool jersey swimming trunks that have an overlay front and white stripes down the side seams. There is a wide waistband with a white cord belt and metal buckle. There is a small flap pocket at the right waist. The trunks are machine sewn and unlined.
DIMENSIONS
Width
420 mm
Diameter
700 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This swimming costume was made by Speedo Australia Pty Ltd in Australia. This swimming costume was made c.1935.
HISTORY
Notes
This pair of daring, bare-chested, wool jersey men's swimming costume trunks with a modesty skirt were made in Australia by Speedo Australia Pty Ltd. First seen at the 1936 German Olympic Games, this style of swimsuit shorts quickly took over from the one-piece suits with shoulder straps. Speedo began manufacturing its brand of racing suits in 1929 and was very successful in setting up alliances with surf lifesaving clubs around Australia. Nylon tricot replaced wool in 1960. Note the classic Speedo logo sewn at the right hip. In the early twentieth century, Australia's enjoyment of the beach was marred by prohibitions on mixed bathing, bathing during daylight hours and laws relating to appropriate beachwear. By the 1920s and 1930s these moral injunctions were relaxed. The growing popularity and acceptability of sea bathing, combined with the belief that exercise and exposure to the sun held healthy benefits, saw the voluminous bathing suits of the early century replaced with a range of fashionable swimwear styles.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of St Vincent De Paul Society Centre Orange, 1984
Acquisition Date
2 May 1984
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