High Waisted bathing suits and other swimwear history

In the 1920s, swimsuits were manufactured in pure silk, for lightness, while racing and training costumes were made from cotton, Nave blue was the only colour option. Silk was more costly than cotton, but it had several advantages; lightness, strength, elasticity and feel, which were behind its dominance in swimwear fot the leading competitive swimmers

Extensive use of silk and cotton continued through the 1930s and 1940s. Competitive swimming was naturally curtailed during the second world war. Until and including the Olympic Games in Melbourne, silk and cotton. In 1957, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser developed a new competitive swimsuit for speedo- in the new wonder fabric: nylon.

Of the synthetics, nylon was the most favored because of its strength, elasticity and the ease with which it took colour when dyed. Nylon was particularly suitable as a beachwear fabric because it was lightweight. Its appeal was heightened by its water-repellent quality, which also meant that it was quick-drying. With the introduction of nylon, colours other than navy began to appear in the competition pool: red and royal blue were the most popular.

The 1972 Munich Olympic games proved a launching pad for Lycra, the last of the last of the major synthetic fibres to find its way into competitive swimwear. IT has excellent stretch properties as well as good recovery and lightness. The durability of this elastomeric fiber was not on a par with nylon, and the higher initial fabric cost soon ensured that the new suits were set aside for competition, rather than all-purpose wear, in which nylon remained dominant.

Lycra became more prominent with the rise of the East German Swimmers, especially the young women who took part in the Belgrade World Championships in the 1973. It is debatable as to whether they received competitive benefit from their new two-way stretch, form-fitting swimsuits; collectively, they did swim better than their opposition, and one of the things that distinguished them from their competitors was their swimsuits.

Today the quest for new swimwear fabric continues. Manufacturers expend much time and money on research. Swimmers, too, are consistently seeking to employ the latest technology to keep up with, but preferably ahead of, the opposition.

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