Speedo
Sydney
MacRae
Knitting
Mills
1928
Swimsuit
The
Racerback
1957 use
of Nylon
1970s
Nylon &
Lycra
2000
Fastskin
Olympics
1896
Sport met the
need for exercise
and social
interaction in the
new urban
population
Right clothing
for service men
became
important
World War Ι
Need for
practical &
comfortable
sports wear
Sports
clothing was
comfortable
leisurewear
The Sidcot
Fur lining, air
resistant silk,
Burberry
fabric, Fur
trim
Need for
thermal
insulation!
World War Ι
Women were
working in
factories
Trousers for
women!
Bathing
costumes
for women!
Beach
Pyjamas
1920
Jersey
fabrics
Coco Chanel,
swim suit
1914
Woven fabrics
Trousers for
women!
Bathing
costumes
for women!
1927
Women wear men’s
Tennis trousers!
Girls
playing
Basketball
Women’s
Liberation
Hollywood
1930’ and 1940’
Marlene
Dietrich
Greta
Garbo
Katharine
Hepburn
1940
Cancellation of the
Olympic Games
Sport went to the
movies instead!
The swimsuit is internationally
recognised as a symbol of
modernity that embodies fashion
and function, leisure and
athleticism, glamour and
sensuality.
By the thirties bra history was to
change forever when Dunlop chemists
were able to transform latex into
reliable elastic thread in all sorts of
dimensions. The yarn was corespun and
knitted or woven and eventually made
into washable Lastex fabric.
Katharine
Hepburn
1940
Cancellation of the
Olympic Games
Sport went to the
movies instead!
By the thirties bra history was to
change forever when Dunlop chemists
were able to transform latex (rubber)
into reliable elastic thread in all sorts of
dimensions. The yarn was core-spun and
knitted or woven and eventually made
into washable Lastex fabric.
LASTEX is an elastic fibre made from Latex. Lastex
will deteriorate after repeated washing and drying,
losing its elasticity.
Hollywood stars also added
glamour to the swimsuit so that
bathers needed to consider having
one in the latest fashion. Esther
Williams and Dorothy Lamour along
with films featuring synchronized
aqua swimming whipped up interest
in figure hugging costumes with
higher cut legs and which revealed
every body contour.
Good Bye Wool and
Hello Cotton!
Cotton was certainly more comfortable, but
swimwear needed more structure if it was going
to hide figure flaws. Enter the girdled
swimsuit.
Girdled
swimsuits were equipped with elastic
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panels across the tummy area to help smooth
out unwanted curves and bulges. Additionally,
bra cups/ bustiers were incorporated into the
design to offer greater breast support. And of
cause they had a zip at the back!
Then it got even more
adventurous!
Swimsuits were super but
how about showing a little
more?
In May 1946, Louis Réard created
the two-piece swimsuit. He
advertised it as the world's
"smallest bathing suit". The idea
struck him when he saw women
rolling up their beachwear to get a
better tan. The name BIKINI
refers to the atomic experimental
bomb detonated in the South
Pacific near the Bikini Reef.
At the time cotton was
still the fabric used,
often bias cut for its
stretch qualities.
In May 1946, Louis Réard created
the two-piece swimsuit. He
advertised it as the world's
"smallest bathing suit". The idea
struck him when he saw women
rolling up their beachwear to get a
better tan. The name BIKINI
refers to the atomic experimental
bomb detonated in the South
Pacific near the Bikini Reef.
"French girls have short
legs," he explained,
"Swimsuits have to be
hiked up at the sides to
make their legs look
longer." (Fred Cole)
In 1959 Dupont’s Joseph
Shivers was able to produce a
synthetic fibre from
polyurethane known for its
elasticity. Stronger than
rubber it was the ideal fibre
for swim wear fabrics.
Spandex revolutionised the
clothing industry.
The name "Spandex" is an
anagram of the word
"expands". Other brand names
associated with Spandex
include Lycra and Dorlastan.
From Bathing to
Swimming to
Where next?
Swim wear to this day is made using
the warp knitting method of
construction. Unlike Latex Lycra
does not loose its elasticity when
washed.
BIOMIMETICS
Michael Phelps won 8 Gold medals in
the 2008 Olympics in Beijing wearing a
Speedo Fastskin swimsuit, designed to
mirror the efficiency of shark skin.
The Fastskin swimsuit is inspired in the
shape and texture of shark skin.
Shark skin's texture varies to adapt to
water flows and currents against its
body, in order to navigate in the most
efficient manner.
BIOMIMETICS
Back to the 50’s
and the magic of..
Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill is the founder of
O'Neill, one of the biggest surf and
sportswear brands in the world.
Born in 1923 in Colorado, Jack soon
moved to California where he started
off as a fisherman, a salesman and all
sorts of other jobs. All the while he
loved to surf and body board. But
even Californian surf can be cold in
winter, and with only bathing trunks
to wear, the ocean was not a pleasant
place to be! Frustrated with having to
freeze his nuts off in order to surf,
Jack went about designing a solution...
NEOPRENE
Polyurethane
Jack is the creator of the wetsuit back in
the early 50's. Jack first came across a
fabric now widely known in the surf world as
neoprene. Strangely enough he discovered it
on the floor of an aeroplane! He ordered
masses of the material and started
stitching it together to make vests, and
later suits.
In 1952 Jack opened his first surf shop in
San Francisco, California, and appropriately
called it 'Surf Shop'.
Know how when you buy something new suddenly you begin to see the same thing everywhere, when before you’d never
noticed? It’s a bit the same here. We post a story on something that seems freshly green and maybe even a bit unique.
But lo and behold they’re all over the show.
Patagonia’s wetsuit inner is made of recycled polyester and merino wool which is funcky enough, but it was the outer
neoprene of crushed limestone that sounded so exotic. Until we saw Body Glove were doing much the same thing. And
readers alerted us to Matuse of California, and it didn’t stop there. Nemo wetsuits from Bali, Indonesia, Seventh Wave
from New Zealand, NinePlus out of Cornwall, and Blue Seventy from Virginia. And no doubt a bunch of others too, but you
get the picture.
Now, not all are making wetsuits from an ecological standpoint, but what they do have in common is that they chose
Yamamoto limestone-based neoprene from Japan. The company say their limestone is over 99.7% calcium carbonate and
took 80,000,000 years to make, as shell secretions of marine organisms were deposited on the floor of the open ocean.
The company suggest their rubber has a 23% higher close cell structure than oil derived neoprene, making it more
buoyant, while also having a maximum elongation of over 480%, where human skin stretches only up to about 60 to 70%.
The extra cells are filled with nitrogen gas and this makes wetsuits from the stuff warmer. Additionally Yamamoto
contend that their neoprene is close to 95% water impermeable, compared to the petroleum-based standard of almost
70%.
Matuse, who term their version of the material, Geoprene, note that their Yamamoto rubber wetsuits have a low surface
friction coefficient of 0.032, whereas old-world neoprene’s drag coefficient is 4.0. As they say, “Metaphorically speaking,
this translates to you being the hot knife and water being the butter.” It sure is curious stuff
The other week we noted, in passing, that
Patagonia were playing with more
environmentally benign wetsuits. We
should’ve linked to their dedicated page,
where you can learn more. Like how the
neoprene outer is of 80% non-petroleum
based ingredients. (Fortune Mag reckoned
it was made with crushed limestone but
the Patagonia site is coy on that aspect.)
The inner lining is a chloride-free merino
wool grid bonded to recycled polyester.
Kneepads are PVC-free and are said to be
more durable and grippier. Coming for
both men and women in 2mm and 3mm
versions, to span water temps from 48 to
65°F (9 to 18°C). Long and shortie styles,
although limited availability just now.
::Patagonia Wetsuits.
A tiny piece of one which offers unlimited possibilities
As a result of a series of diastrophism over a vast span of time beginning
approximately 80 million years ago, a rock situated in the present-day Hawaiian
lslands traveled a long way to Mt. Kurohime in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It was
us, YAMAMOTO CORPORATION, who first shed light on this unique rock.
Charmed by its mysteriousness, we have continued to create novel business
enterprises. Being composed of 99.7% calcium carbonate, this rock is
miraculously free from almost all impurities. Using this rock as a starting
material, we have developed a number of high-quality materials that have found
applications in various fields such as; sports gear, medicine and fashion. Many of
these have lead to the revolutionary new use of materials in these fields. Now,
we have inspired yet another life into these rubber materials. In the evolution
from technical rubber to Bio Rubber materials, our novel scope of activities has
just begun.
The first wetsuit material in
Japan that offers both
functionality and agility.
We began production of
wetsuits in 1961.Before that
time, wetsuits were mode
of a tire tube material, and
their rigidity greatly
limited the motion of the
wearer in water. Also, these
wetsuits were hard to put
on or take off. Our unique
wetsuit material was
intended to solve these
problems. In the
development efforts, we
developed a rubber
material containing closed
cells and selected an
optimal lining material.
This new product instantly
gathered recognition
around the world. It is
currently used in 70% or
more of the high quality
brand name wetsuits
throughout the world.
Using materials like "Bio Stretch" rubber and "Eco Flex" exterior, Body Glove has
created the "first environmentally friendly wetsuit." While the folks at Patagonia
might have something to say about that, Body Glove's "Eco Wetsuit" can boast 100%
petroleum-free materials which consume "1/10th the amount of energy normally
used in the manufacturing of standard petroleum based wetsuits." As we've noted
before, surfing and TreeHugging go together like fair trade chocolate and organic
peanut butter; it's good to see more ways to walk the walk (and, hey, if you can look
as bad-ass as this guy, why not?) before paddling out for some tasty waves. Get all
the details about the Eco Wetsuit at ::Body Glove via ::Core77
Corn based outer material, non toxic water based inks,
recycled zipper, limestone based rubber, uses no
petroleum and only 1/10 of energy used when
producing standard neoprene.
Overall the GEOPRENE wetsuits are slightly lighter
and warmer. Instead of the usual 3mm winter
thickness only 2mm are necessary allowing for more
movement.
Trousers for
women!
Bathing
costumes
for women!
1927
Women wear
men’s
Coco Chanel,
swim suit
1914
Woven fabrics