1929 - present

Speedos have been the swimwear of choice for competitive swimmers for more than 60 years and Bondi beachgoers for nearly 100 years.

Started in 1914 by Scottish immigrant Alexander MacRae, the company’s early years producing underwear allowed it to innovate with lightweight, figure-hugging costumes to capitalise on Australia’s growing beach culture.

MacRae arrived in Sydney in 1910 and set up MacRae Knitting Mills hosiery company in 1914 to supply socks for soldiers during World War I.

MacRae first developed a non-wool swimsuit in 1928, the year the company changed its name to Speedo, with the slogan ‘Speed on in your Speedos’.

His early, figure-hugging ‘Raceback’ costume - with back straps that improved movement in the water - challenged moral codes at a time when mixed bathing was only just becoming acceptable. The design included the distinctive Speedo tick logo.

The emphasis on flexibility and speed attracted the attention of Olympic swimmers, especially after Swede Arne Borg set a world record in 1929 in the Raceback. At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Speedo-wearing Australian team won eight Gold medals. Olympians worldwide took notice and by the 1968 Mexico Olympics most of the Gold medallists and world record holders wore Speedos.

Central to Speedo’s success was its research team, with eastern suburbs designer Gloria Smythe leading the way between 1963 and 1990. Her understanding of new fabrics, gained while working in London fashion houses, allowed her to explore hydrodynamics. Smythe was the first to use nylon, lycra and ‘paper’ (lycra/nylon) fabrics, painted colours and patterns onto nylon and modified the length and style of male and female swimsuits.

Another designer, Peter Travis, worked for Speedo between 1959 and 1962, shocking beach inspectors in 1960 by launching a men’s swimming brief. When a few brave men appeared at Bondi wearing the Sluggoe, they were arrested for indecent exposure. The case was dismissed, but Speedo loved the publicity.

Speedo maintained a strong link with the Surf Life Saving Association and sponsored the Australian Institute of Sport and Olympic teams.

While the company is no longer Australian-owned, it continues to innovate with fabrics, including the world’s first chlorine-resistant swimwear.

Images courtesy Waverley Library Local Studies Colelction, the Powerhouse Museum Collection and Speedo Australia.