Theory
Hydrodynamics plays an essential role in swimming
A swimsuit, bathing suit or
swimming costume is an item of
clothing designed to be worn
while participating in water sports
and activities such as swimming,
water polo, diving, surfing, water
skiing, or for any activity in the
Sun, such as Sun bathing.
Competition swimsuits differ
somewhat from fashion swimsuits
in style, fit, and fabric. Because
they are designed to stay in place
and facilitate swimming speed in
the water. The manufacturers of
competitive swimsuits pay
attention to several factors that
are not generally important in
fashionable or recreational
swimsuits. Because speed and
smoothness in the water are so
essential to a good competition
swimsuit, manufacturers have
paid close attention to the skin of
water animals. While colours,
prints, and cut are the most
important factors in recreational
swimwear, texture and tightness
are the most important factors in
competitive swimwear.
46 APPAREL VIEWS / SEPTEMBER 2010
were shortened even more, but women had to wear a
short skirt called “modesty panel” and by this time a
performance regardless of the particular event
(freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke or backstroke).
Studies estimate that over 90 per cent of the
swimmer’s power output is spent overcoming
hydrodynamic resistance. The hydrodynamic
resistance can be divided approximately into three,
almost independent components:
• Wave drag • Form drag, and • Skin friction drag
The wave drag is associated with the work required
to generate waves, form drag is the resistance to
motion due to the shape of the body, and skin friction
is the resistance to motion due to the area of the body
with the water (the wetted area). The form drag is
believed to constitute almost 56 per cent of the total
drag. All three components are time-dependent as
the swimmer completes the stroke, and all three
components depend on the speed of the swimmer, as
well as his/her shape, length, and style.
History of competitive swimsuit
Historically, the people used to swim nude and it was
socially accepted. Today’s swimsuit has travelled a
long path and gone through a series of changes of
styles and designs. Notably, in the early 18th century,
wool and flannel were chosen as a suit fabric covering
almost the entire skin of the swimmer. However, this
suit became bulky when it came to contact with water.
In 1908, the Australian swimmer, Annette Kellerman
created the first practical swimsuit made of one piece
plus bathing socks. This suit exposed the knees and
arms of the swimmer for the first time in the history
of swimming.
Officially, the women’s swimming events were added
to Olympic game in 1912 and swimmers were allowed
to use relatively shorter swimsuits. In 1920s, swimsuits
two-piece swimsuit became very common.
In 1930s, bikini was introduced as an innovative
swimwear. After the World War II, Nylon replaced
the silk and wool in major events’ competitive suits
and the colour was allowed in 1964 while the modesty
panel was eliminated in 1973. In 1990s, swimsuits
continue to evolve to mimic skin and the Lycra was
introduced and quickly became popular.
In 2000s, Speedo® lunched the full-body Fastskin™
swimsuit based on so called shark’s skin pattern and
mimicked in V-shape ridges. Since Beijing Olympic
2008, almost all major sports wear manufacturers
introduced full-body swimsuits made of semi- and-
full polyurethane combined with Lycra fabric.
Engineered competitive swimsuits
Special swimsuits for competitive swimming are
designed to reduce skin drag and resemble unitards.
Commercial swimsuit manufacturers have claimed
and counterclaimed about their swimsuits
performance by reducing aerodynamic drag and
enhancing buoyancy. These suits are made from
spandex and provide little thermal protection, but they
do protect the skin from stings and abrasion. Most
competitive swimmers also wear special swimsuits
including partial and full bodysuits, racer back styles,
and jammers and racing briefs to assist their glide
through the water and gain speed advantages.
The manufacturers claimed these suits have features
such as ultra-light weight, water repellence, muscles
oscillation and skin vibration reduction by
compressing the body. Recently, swimsuits have been
aggressively marketed principally as a means for
reducing the skin friction component of the total drag,
thereby conferring a competitive advantage over other
swimmers.
The technological innovation in both design and
materials has played a crucial role in sport achieving
its current standing in both absolute performance
and its aesthetics. Few studies also revealed that
textiles can play a vital role in high performance sports
where speed is a dominating factor. The aerodynamic
properties such as drag and lift can play a dominant
role in swimming especially in swimsuit design. The
swimmers usually involve very short winning time
margins in events that often have much longer
timescales, making hydrodynamic resistance and its
associated energy loss during the event significant
in the outcome.
In this article we tried to study the latest swimsuits
available in the market.
Basic characteristics of swimsuits
• Opacity
The journey of Engineered Competitive Swimsuit
started when Speedo®, the world's number one brand
of swimwear, introduced Fastskin™, the most
technically advanced competitive swimsuit ever
made. Among the most dramatic elements was the
introduction of a full-body silhouette, the first to be
offered in the company's history.
The swimsuit looked to a creature that is fast in the
water but not naturally hydrodynamic -- the shark,
whose highly developed skin minimises drag and
maximises swimming efficiency. The secret behind
the shark's skin is its dermal denticles, which look
like tiny hydrofoils with V-shaped ridges. As a shark
moves through water, it creates turbulence and drag.
Its dermal denticles decrease drag and turbulence by
directing water flow over the body, which allows
surrounding water to pass over the shark more
effectively. Shark skin texture

• Higher order of stretch and recovery ®

• Higher order of resistance to abrasion
• Strong and durable
• Colour fastness to light
• Colour fastness to sea and chlorinated pool
water
• Less absorbent and should have wet strength
• UV protection
Evolution of competitive swimsuits
The Speedo Fastskin™ fabric has ridges that are
scientifically calculated for height and width to the
exact proportion of the shark's dermal denticles --
the most efficient formula for speed. The athlete's
initial concerns with full body silhouette focused
upon a loss of the "feel of the water" along the inner
forearm, an area critical to generating propulsive
forces. To combat this, the Speedo® Fastskin™
incorporates a gripper fabric on the forearm, which
mimics skin, and enhances the sensory feedback
for the swimmer.

Brand Swimsuit Year of development Principle

Adidas Jet concept bodysuit 2003 Jet concept
TYR Tracer A7 2007 Zoned compression
Speedo LZR 2008 NASA (Hydro Form Compression system)
Diana Submarine 2008 Submarines
Speedo® Fastskin™ Fabric with shark’s skin texture
Arenas X-Glide 2008 Arena Stealth Fabric (lightweight)

Table 1 Evolution of competitive swimsuits

Shark skin is composed of small jagged, overlapping

scales, seen here with a backscatter detector. This
effects produces a covering that offers low resistance
and turbidity when the shark swims and has been copied
in the body suits of Olympic swimmers.

(By Vasant R. Kothari, Assistant Professor,

Department of Fashion Technology, NIFT,
Bangalore, Neha Goyal & Megha Sheoran,
MFTech, NIFT, Bangalore)

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