Comme des Garcons Designs Olympic Swimsuit
Posted on June 28, 2008
Gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin wearing the Speedo Team USA LZR Racer suit designed by Comme des Garcons, which was unveiled this week. Speedo worked with Comme des Garcons to develop a one-of-kind look for Team USA. Naturally, the suits feature the the red, white and blue of the American flag.
Swimming World has photos of Natalie in the stylish Speedo suit.
The design was created by the founder of Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubok, which was merged with the distinctive metallic silver calligraphy that already appears on the suit. The calligraphy, painted by celebrated artist Inoue Yu-ichi, means 'kokoro' representing the heart, spirit and mind.
Rei Kawakubo said, "I was interested in expressing the energy and the power that comes from the spirit, embodied in the meaning of the calligraphy, together with the will to win for one's country, symbolized by the iconic flag of the USA. I am very honored and proud that Team USA will be performing in the pool in Beijing with this strong creative design."
"I've been wearing the Speedo LZR RACER suit for the past several months and I've had a lot of success in it," said U.S. Olympic Gold medalist and Speedo sponsored swimmer, Natalie Coughlin. "Not only is this the fastest suit out there but it now has a beautiful, patriotic feel to it which is very cool. I hope I have the opportunity to proudly swim in it in Beijing."
Thirty eight world records have been broken by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer since its launch in February. NASA and several international research institutes collaborated to create the high tech suit which has substantially less passive drag than prior suits.