Men's 1972 Swedish Olympic team-inspired swimming trunks
Maker
Speedo International Ltd
Date1972
Object number00019001
NameSwimsuit
MediumBri-nylon, cotton
DimensionsOverall: 255 x 325 mm, 0.03 kg
Clothing size: 34
Clothing size: 34
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Speedo International Ltd
DescriptionThese men's swimming trunks, featuring the 1972 Swedish Olympic swimming team uniform design, were produced in Britain under license from Speedo. The nylon fabric uses the Swedish national colours of yellow and blue and an abstracted pattern of Swedish motifs. Speedo first released commercial ranges of the designs they produced for various national Olympic teams in the 1960s.HistoryIn 1955 Speedo introduced nylon into its competitive swimwear range. The 1956 Olympics in Melbourne saw the widespread use of the new fabric, as well as changes in men's swimwear design.
The development of Speedo's 'brief' swimming trunk design followed the competition guidelines dictated by FINA. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) allowed men to swim skirtless for the first time. This revolutionary step spelt the end of swimming trunks with 20cm side seams. However, lowering the waist and raising the leg line was a slow process. At the 1972 Munich Olympics FINA allowed men to swim in trunks with 5cm side seams.
SignificanceProduced as a stock item, these swimming trunks demonstrate the influence of Olympic team designs on Speedo's commercial swimwear ranges in the 1970s.Canterbuury, under license from Speedo
1964