Woman's Fastskin Bodyskin : Sydney Olympic Games 2000 : Australian swimming team
Maker
Speedo International Ltd
Date2000
Object number00033536
NameSwimsuit
MediumPolyester, elastane
DimensionsOverall: 1055 x 400 mm, 0.24 kg
Clothing size: 27
Clothing size: 27
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Speedo International Ltd
DescriptionThis Speedo Fastskin team suit features panels of navy, black, and yellow polyester elastane fabric with dense green flatlocked seams. The Bodyskin's design has a zipper that runs up the center of the back, and the main body of the suit has been textured to form a denticular pattern similar to that of a shark.
Printed in white on the right chest is Speedo's logo and the Southern Cross next to the text 'AUS'. On the left chest is the Australian coat of arms, together with the five Olympic rings above the text 'Sydney 2000'.
HistoryThe Speedo Fastskin was launched in 2000 at Homebush Bay in Sydney. The design was developed by a core research team of scientists, swimmers, a swimming coach, a computer clothing company, a Japanese textile company, a bio mechanist and a shark expert. They found that the unique texture of a shark's skin allows it to move faster through the water.
The Fastskin fabric mimics the rough dermal denticles of shark skin to reduce drag in key areas of the body. The polyester and elastane fabric compresses the body to stop skin vibration and muscle oscillation, with the effect of saving energy and further reducing drag.
The suit aids in connecting muscles through a combination of panels and unique seaming. It follows an anatomic pattern where the seams act like tendons and provide tension in the suit, while the fabric panels act like muscles, stretching and returning to their original shape.
The Fastskin FSII was launched in 2004 for the Athens Olympics. The new range featured male and female specific, and stroke specific swimsuits. The FSII fabric contains a special material made from a titanium alloy, which is knitted into the costume, with a silicon crystalloid knitted into the chest and back. Seams have been engineered to follow the flow of the water, with greater stretch to allow freedom of movement.
Seams are an essential element in minimising drag and optimising performance. As seams play a vital role in allowing fabric to be stretched to maximum tension, which gives complete freedom of movement, the number of stitches is very high.
SignificanceThis Fastkin swimsuit is representative of technological developments in Speedo's competition designs in the 1990s. Costumes of this type were worn by members of the Australian swimming team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. 
