Jets White Label 'Woollen Mermaid' swimsuit with bugle beading

Maker Jets Swimwear Pty Ltd

Date2009

Object number00046032

NameSwimsuit

MediumNylon and elastane (spandex or Lycra)

DimensionsOverall: 700 x 360 mm, 193 g
Clothing size: 10

ClassificationsClothing and personal items

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Jets Swimwear

Terms

DescriptionJessika Allen, of Australian swimwear label Jets, designed this black one-piece swimsuit for the Australian National Maritime Museum's 'Woollen Mermaid' project. The swimsuit features elaborate beading down the front middle section, a halterneck strap tie, clear plastic strips down the sides and comes with matching wrist cuffs. Jets is an established Australian swimwear label and this suit forms part of their 2009 White Label collection, the decorative beading being a reference to the shining tail of a mermaid.HistoryApproaching its 30th anniversary, the Jets label was shifted to the forefront of Australian and international fashion when it was bought and relaunched by Jessika and Adrian Allen in 2001. As a premium luxury swimwear brand Jets upholds a standard of superior quality through its heritage of craftsmanship and unique design style. An efficient and specialised distribution as well as an active interest in technology and innovation ensures the strength of the Jets brand. Designer Jessika Allen completed a degree in Fashion Design and Textiles and a postgraduate course in Tailoring at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan. Jessika has always found inspiration from her love of art, history, books and different cultures. For Jessika, swimwear design is the perfect platform to embrace and enhance a woman's curves and shapes. Stretch fabrics work best against the skin, they mould and move with the body. The result is glamorous swimwear in a combination of soft, sensual fabrics and unique, exclusive designs. The Jets brand is split into three collections consisting of the White label, the Black Label and the Blue Label. The White Label focuses on strong sexy and cutting edge silhoettes, while the Black Label emphasises sophisticated, elegent and timeless pieces. The Blue Label targets a younger and lighthearted swimwear market. In the early 20th century most swimsuits were produced in wool, in part due to its ability to reveal less of the body when wet. There was early experimentation with developing rib-like knits that were more elastic, followed by the use of Lastex, a rubber yarn that created a garment with less sag and drag. In the 21st century, advances in textile technology have resulted in the development of wool jersey fabrics with a high compression Lycra component. Jets is one of the contemporary swimwear designers invited to reinterpret the classic one-piece swimsuit using a technologically advanced wool/lycra textile for the Australian National Maritime Museum's 2009 exhibition 'Exposed! The Story of Swimwear'. The use of this fabric articulates the technological importance of performance textiles to fashioning a modern garment, whilst acknowledging the importance of wool as a yarn to Australia and the swimsuit's history. In the early 20th century most swimsuits were produced in wool, in part due to its ability to reveal less of the body when wet. There was early experimentation with developing rib-like knits that were more elastic, followed by the use of Lastex, a rubber yarn that created a garment with less sag and drag. In the 21st century, advances in textile technology have resulted in the development of wool jersey fabrics with a high compression Lycra component. Looking to the past and designing for the future, the swimsuit designs embody a contemporary aesthetic and active glamour inspired by the original mermaid, Annette Kellerman. Kellerman (1886-1975) was the 'Australian Mermaid,' the 'Diving Venus' and the 'Perfect Woman.' Through a career as a long distance swimmer, diver, vaudeville performer and silent movie star she became a global identity associated with glamour and physical beauty. She was the first woman to attempt to swim the English Channel, and swam her way across Europe and the United States. Kellerman was a controversial individual. She was allegedly arrested for indecency preparing to swim along the coastline at Revere Beach, Boston in 1907 and expressed her independence and self-possession through bodily spectacle in daring swimsuits styled on the existing one-piece swimsuit design for men. There were initially no modifications made to the original, masculine design; no structuring to the contours of a woman's body, in particular the breast area, and it would not be until the 1930s that designers would feminise the swimsuit, and new technology would assist the development of textiles that would enhance its fit and performance. Kellerman's innovation was revealing the female body, which had been concealed beneath layers of clothes and corsets for centuries in the public arena. She was a role model for women, encouraging self-motivation and self-development. Kellerman extolled the virtues of exercise and a healthy diet to shape the body naturally. In 1918 her book 'Physical Beauty: How to Keep It' was published, and it promised that through a series of simple daily exercises in the home, every woman could achieve a level of physical beauty that was essential to the wearing of a body hugging one-piece swimsuit with confidence. As a prototypical Hollywood star she prefigured the celebrity culture focused on the body that has predominated since then. Jessika Allen's design statement for the 'Woollen Mermaid' brief: 'Arrestingly sexy the powerful enchantress of the sea glimmers as she swims. Her shimmering tail was the inspiration of the beaded centrepiece of the alluring cut-out one piece'. SignificanceThis swimsuit shows the design interests of Jets, one of Australia's established swimwear brands, and its imaginative response to the Australian National Maritime Museum's 'Woollen Mermaid' project, part of its 2009 White Label collection.