Overview:

Developments in swimwear technology have revolutionised swimming and have created massive interest in what has traditionally been a low-tech sport.

Manufacturers of performance swimwear have been involved in a technological race to produce the world’s fastest swimsuit. This race—commonly referred to as “the bodysuit wars”—culminated in early 2009 with the development of swimsuits constructed not from a textile but from 100% polyurethane.

The introduction of this new generation of performance swimwear coincided with a sharp improvement in swimming times which has fuelled a debate about whether high-tech suits provide their wearers with an unfair advantage. As a result of the controversy, polyurethane suits will be banned from competitive swimming with effect from January 1, 2010. From that date, competitive swimmers will be required to wear textile suits, and these must not extend further than the knee.

Following the ban on full length non-textile suits, performance swimwear manufacturers now have less leeway in their choice of design and materials. Consequently, they will face a major challenge in their quest to develop fast and innovative new swimsuits.

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

Full length bodysuit

BIOMECHANICS OF COMPETITIVE SWIMMING

Drag

Buoyancy

HISTORY OF SWIMWEAR

FABRICS USED FOR SWIMWEAR AND FABRIC PROPERTIES

Developments in swimwear fabrics

Key properties of swimwear fabrics

Types of swimwear fibres and fabrics

Elastane

Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)

Nature-inspired fabrics

Polyurethane

Nano fabrics

CHARACTERISTICS OF PERFORMANCE SWIMWEAR

Features designed to reduce drag

Designs of performance swimwear

Innovations in performance swimwear

PERFORMANCE SWIMWEAR REGULATIONS

Controversy surrounding performance swimwear regulations

SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERFORMANCE SWIMWEAR MARKET

KEY PERFORMANCE SWIMWEAR BRANDS

Adidas: Hydrofoil

Arena: Powerskin

Diana: Submarine

Jaked: J01

Speedo: LZR Racer

Tyr: Tracer

OUTLOOK

List of figures

Figure 1: Shark skin

Figure 2: Hydrofoil

Figure 3: Powerskin

Figure 4: Submarine

Figure 5: J01

Figure 6: LZR Racer

Figure 7: Tyr Tracer