Anna & Boy 'St Elmo's Stripe' one piece swimsuit

Maker Anna & Boy (Australian)

Date2009

Object number00046080

NameSwimsuit

MediumNylon/Lycra

DimensionsOverall (laid flat with strap): 700 x 320 x 15 mm
Clothing size: 2

ClassificationsClothing and personal items

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Anna & Boy

Terms

DescriptionAnna & Boy's 2009 summer swimwear women's collection has a modern prettiness that reinterprets the styles of a young Goldie Hawn and Britt Ekland. This one piece high back, halterneck swimsuit uses a grey and white striped fabric both horizontally and vertically. Anna & Boy is an emerging Australian swimwear label operating under the designers Anna Hewett and Lill Boyd. All of their swimsuits feature the label's design logo, a gold peach trinket.HistoryAnna & Boy was established in 2005 by former Vogue magazine colleagues Anna Hewett and Lill Boyd. The pair gradually identified a lack of inspiring swimwear, which motivated the development of their label. Their fashion design and visual communications studies along with industry experience have combined to create chic, fashionable swimwear with a strong emphasis on unique prints and clean simple lines, for both men and women. From the 19th century Australians wore homemade bathing costumes based on overseas pattern books, or ready-made mail order swimwear. Retailers soon provided the latest fashions from British and American companies. By the 1930s swimwear was being mass produced by local knitting mills with brand names that reflected the Australian lifestyle- Challenge Racer, Sunkist, Penguin, Golden Fleece, Kookaburra, Top Dog, Seagull and Speedo. Australia's relaxed attitude to fashion has enabled swimwear and beachwear to become a focus of the Australian fashion industry. Innovative local brands have gained international recognition. Australian designers blend high-end fashion and performance swimwear with a leisure market that demands the latest fabrics, colours and styles. In the early 20th century most swimsuits were produced in wool. 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. Wool was the most elastic fabric available until the invention of synthetic fibres in 1938. Rib knit technology gave woollen swimming costumes their stretch - the knit stitch provided strength and the purl stitch stretch. The tight rib knit used for jumper cuffs was first used for men's rowing suits in 1913. The elasticity of these woollen rowing suits was the inspiration for the male swimsuit. The growing popularity of swimming inspired new fashions, manufacturing techniques and fabric technologies. The linear stretch of elastic enabled manufacturers to mass-produce figure hugging fabrics that provided greater movement and improved swimming performance.SignificanceThis swimsuit shows the design emphases of Anna & Boy, one of Australia's new generation swimwear brands, and represents its 2009 collection which uses dramatic contrasts of bold, vibrant colours and energetic prints.