Speedo(R) Unveils Team USA LZR RACER(TM) Suit for Beijing

Tag : Bonded Nylon
Record breaking suit features new red, white and blue design fromComme des Garcons
LOS ANGELES, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Speedo, the world's leadingswimwear brand, today unveiled the special Olympic edition Team USALZR RACER suit. Speedo worked with legendary design house Comme desGarcons to develop a one- of-kind look for Team USA featuring thered, white and blue of the American flag.
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The launch of the Team USA Speedo LZR RACER allows the originalComme des Garcons design to be finally revealed as the traditionalgray and black silhouette has been updated with the patriotic starsand stripes of the USA flag. The design by visionary founder ofComme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo, joins the distinctive metallicsilver calligraphy that already appears on the suit. Thecalligraphy, painted by celebrated artist Inoue Yu-ichi, means'kokoro' representing the heart, spirit and mind.
Rei Kawakubo said, "I was interested in expressing the energyand the power that comes from the spirit, embodied in the meaningof the calligraphy, together with the will to win for one'scountry, symbolized by the iconic flag of the USA. I am veryhonored and proud that Team USA will be performing in the pool inBeijing with this strong creative design."
Though the Team USA LZR RACER suit will not officially debut untilBeijing, it is being unveiled now in conjunction with the upcomingU.S. Olympic Team Trials beginning June 29th in Omaha, Nebraska.Speedo's Team USA LZR RACER will be individually created for, andexclusively available to, all members of Team USA in Beijing.
"I've been wearing the Speedo LZR RACER suit for the pastseveral months and I've had a lot of success in it," said U.S.Olympic Gold medalist and Speedo sponsored swimmer, NatalieCoughlin. "Not only is this the fastest suit out there but itnow has a beautiful, patriotic feel to it which is very cool. Ihope I have the opportunity to proudly swim in it in Beijing."
An unprecedented 38 world records have been broken by swimmerswearing the LZR Racer since its launch in February. Speedoharnessed the expertise of NASA and a number of internationalresearch institutes to create the suit which has 10% less passivedrag* than Speedo's FASTSKIN FSII launched in 2004 and 5% lesspassive drag* than Speedo's FASTSKIN FS-PRO(R), which was launchedin March 2007 and swimmers wearing it broke 21 World Records.
Made from an ultra lightweight, low drag, water repellent, andfast-drying fabric unique to Speedo called LZR PULSE(TM), the LZRRACER suit is the world's first fully bonded competition swimsuit.The suit is ultrasonically welded which gives the effect of noseams at all. Ultra low drag LZR panels are laminated onto the basefabric to create a Hydro Form Compression System helping tocompress the entire swimmer's body into a more streamlined shapeand enabling them to cut through the water with more power andagility.
"Since 1928, Speedo has been leading the world in swimweardesign and technology and our partnership with Comme des Garconscontinues that pioneering spirit," said Paula Schneider,President of Speedo USA. "The Speedo LZR RACER suit is theultimate swimsuit through a combination of cutting edgeperformance, innovation and design. We're proud to offer Team USAthe best in technology and design."
To get in the spirit of swimming, the limited edition Team SpeedoUSA collection is now available for purchase at www.speedousa.com
SPEEDO(R), FASTSKIN FSII and FASTSKIN FS-PRO is a registeredtrademark of and used under license from Speedo International Ltd.
LZR PULSE and LZR RACER are trade marks of Speedo InternationalLimited. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patentspending.
Warnaco Swimwear, Inc., a division of The Warnaco Group Inc. , is the authorized licensee of the SPEEDO(R) trademark in NorthAmerica and the Caribbean.
Note to Editors
* Passive drag affects a swimmer in the streamlined position whichis achieved after the initial dive and after a turn. During a 50mrace, a swimmer is likely to be in the streamlined position for upto 15m. In tests the swimmer is in an immobile streamlined positionin a flowing water flume, hence passive.
** In tests comparing Speedo LZR RACER and training swimwear.
1 Skin friction or surface drag is the force that tends to slow aswimmer down by means of the water passing along the surface of thesuit and/or skin. As the characteristics of the water can't bechanged the solution for the swimmer is to make the suit/skin assmooth as possible. Essentially the rougher the surface the morelikely it is to 'grab' onto the water that is moving by. Greaterbody coverage with low frictional materials that don't restrictmovement is required to reduce skin friction drag.
-- The Speedo LZR RACER suit has 10%* less passive drag thanSpeedo's FASTSKIN FSII launched in 2004 and 5%* less passive dragthan FASTSKIN FS-PRO (which has already resulted in 21 worldrecords broken since its launch at the FINA Worlds Championships atMelbourne in March 2007).
-- Strategically placed LZR Panels reduce skin friction drag(1) bya massive 24% in comparison to Speedo's previous market-leadingmaterial, FASTSKIN -- and an enormous 38% less drag than ordinaryNylon Lycra.
-- The 100% bonded seams provide 6% less skin friction drag than aconventionally stitched or woven seam.
-- The Speedo LZR RACER makes it easier to swim faster. In testscomparing LZR-RACER and training swimwear, Swimmers have up to 5%more efficiency** in terms of their Oxygen intake -- thereforerequiring less effort for a given speed of swimming.
Comme des Garcons
Comme des Garcons is a leading avant-garde fashion label, which wasfounded in 1969 by Rei Kawakubo in Tokyo. Comme des Garcons hasover 80 stores and corners across its 12 different brands, andapproximately 350 retailers around the world, with flagship storesin Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, New York, London, Paris, HongKong, Beijing, Seoul and soon to be open St. Petersburg.
About Speedo(R)
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years ofdominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs andinnovations. In the 1920s Speedo(R) made history with theRacerback: the world's first non- wool suit. In 2008 Speedo(R)redefines swimwear again with Fastskin(R) LZR RACER(R) -- thefastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created;meanwhile designer collaborations with Comme des Garcons putSpeedo(R) at the cutting edge of design. As the world's leadingswimwear brand, Speedo(R) is passionate about life in and aroundthe water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elitelevel, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps. Speedo(R) is ownedby Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around theworld; to find out more visit: www.speedo.com . SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE and LZR RACER areregistered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suithas worldwide design rights and patents pending.
About Warnaco
The Warnaco Group, Inc., headquartered in New York, is a leadingapparel company engaged in the business of designing, sourcing,marketing and selling intimate apparel, menswear, jeanswear,swimwear, men's and women's sportswear and accessories under suchowned and licensed brands as Warner's(R), Olga(R), Body NancyGanz(R), and Speedo(R), as well as Chaps(R) sportswear and denim,and Calvin Klein(R) men's and women's underwear, men's and women'sbridge apparel and accessories, men's and women's jeans and jeansaccessories, junior women's and children's jeans and men's andwomen's swimwear.