Woman's Aquablade Leg Suit
Maker
Speedo International Ltd
Datec 1996
Object number00028752
NameSwimsuit
MediumPolyester elastane
DimensionsOverall: 840 x 390 mm, 0.2 kg
Clothing size: 14
Clothing size: 14
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Speedo International Ltd
DescriptionDesigned for the Atlanta Olympic Games, this Speedo Aquablade Leg Suit is made from a polyester elastane fabric printed with water repellent resin stripes. The suit features a zip on the right side seam and a high neck line. Covering the thigh to the knee, the sleeveless design aimed to reduce drag and support the movement of the leg muscles. The Australian coat of arms, the Olympic rings and the text 'Atlanta 1996' are printed in day-glo green on the chest.
HistorySpeedo's Aquablade range was launched in 1996 for the Atlanta Olympics.
The Aquablade fabric features a stripe print created by an applied water repellant resin. The 'rough' and 'smooth' stripes produce different speeds of water flow across the suit. This hydrodynamic surface creates verticle spirals of water, which increase the water flow and keep it closer to the swimmer's body. The construction of the fabric also reduces the amount of water absorbed, making the suit lighter in the water and quicker to dry.
By reducing the overall resistance of the suit in water, the fabric improves the swimmer's glide time. Independant testing on the fabric and silhouettes took place at the Institute for Hydrodynamics as Ruhr University, Germany. 46 tests on 11 swimwear fabrics concluded that the Aquablade had an 18% lower surface rsistance that the S2000, which was the Speedo suit produced for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. The Aquabalde also had a 23% lower surface resistance than conventional nylon lycra swimwear fabric.SignificanceThe Aquablade range is representative of Speedo's tecnological developments in elite swimwear during the 1990s.
