Speedo

   In 1910, the Scottish immigrant Alexander MacRae (1888-circa 1930) moved to Australia and, in 1914, opened MacRae Knitting Mills, a hosiery factory on Bondi Beach. He expanded his product line to include swimwear in 1928 and the name speedo was given to a racerback swimsuit—first coined from a competition slogan "Speed on in your Speedos." During World War II, MacRae's production was dedicated to the war effort but resumed afterwards as Speedo Knitting Mills (Holdings) Ltd. It became a publicly traded company in 1951. Speedo introduced its new nylon swimsuit "brief for men at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. The company quickly rose to international fame when it claimed that 70 percent of swimming medals were won by athletes wearing Speedos during the 1968 and 1971 Olympics. By the 1976 Olympics, 52 out of 54 countries wore Speedo swimsuits. Lyera was first introduced in the 1970s and by the 1990s, the company's research and development department began experimenting with aqua-blade and fastskin product technology, which are scientifically based on shark's skin which reduces drag and airflow.

   In 1991, Speedo was sold to the British company, Pentland Group Plc., although Speedo Australia remained a separate company. In 2004, Speedo announced a sponsorship agreement with the International Federation of Swimming (FINA) and a partnership with MTV. Speedo's Fastskin FSII Ice, worn by athletes at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, was created after five years of extensive research and provides aerodynamic "second skin" technology that extended into sports other than swimming, such as skeleton, bobsledding, and luge. Speedo is the world's top-selling swimwear brand consisting of women's, children's, and men's fashion and fitness swimwear, and also includes a complete collection of aquatic and fitness equipment. Speedo sponsors many top athletes who collaborate with its research and development team to actualize its three basic principles, "Fit, Fast, and Free."

   See also Activewear.