How It Became a Thing: Looking Back on the History of Swimwear

How It Became a Thing: Looking Back on the History of Swimwear furnilly.com/how-it-became-a-thing-looking-back-on-the-history-of-swimwear/ December 27, 2016

Since the beach is one of the favorite spots of many Brits, the beach scene and culture are very much alive. Both locals and tourists love going to the beach for variety of reasons; some go there for fun, while others go after a good tan. For whatever reason they have, many do not fail visiting the beach at least once a year.

Quick Look on the History of Swimwear

As decades progress, the mentality of many people towards swimwear changed. More and more people became more accepting with the idea of wearing swimwear. Today, it is very normal to see women wearing swimwear at the beach, sports events, and beauty pageants. This proved that swimwear changed different aspects of the society, most especially the fashion industry.

When going to a beach spot in UK, it is impossible not to see women sporting stylish and fashionable bikinis and printed swimwear. Wearing of sporty, skimpy, or sexy pair of swimwear is part of UK beach culture; hence, it is not uncommon to see women doing it while sunbathing or swimming. This type of swimwear is one of the most prominent elements in any beach scene, and in fact, it has an interesting history behind it.

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If you think that swimwear only sprung to human’s culture in the past decades, you may want to think again. According to historians, swim wears were first used during the ancient times. Greek paintings and urns dating back to the 1400 B.C. depict women athletes sporting two-piece garment, which resembles a swimwear. Historians also contend that swimwear-style clothing was also used by ancient Romans. This clothing was called ‘subligar,’ a wrapped loincloth of leather or cloth.

The humble beginnings of the swimwear continued and expanded through time.

Innovations and improvements to this type of clothing were later on introduced, changing the popular culture of many nations. Fast forward to 1951, the first Festival Bikini Contest (later on called Miss World) was launched. The contest originally intended to promote mid-century swimwear at the Festival of Britain.

The event became a big success and media called it as ‘Miss World’ competition. The winner of the pageant, Sweden’s Kiki Hakansson, was crowned in a swimwear. However, everything did not run smoothly during the first years of the pageant. Conservative and religious nations threatened to withdraw their delegates, which is why the organizing body of the contest decided to change the swimwear segment with evening gown portion.

The Swimsuit Trend in the UK The beach party scene in the beaches of UK is very much alive. In fact, certain parts of UK are known for beach parties where wearing of various types of swimsuits, bikinis, board shorts, rash guards, as well as printed swimwear is a custom and tradition. Hence, it is not uncommon for many beach- and party-goers to wear swimwear like swimwear, board shorts, and the like.

This also paved the way for the development of the swimwear industry in the island nation. Today, it is normal to see a swimwear shops almost anywhere in the nation.

When summer season comes, it is sure that many Aussie girls will flock swimshops to buy the latest and trendiest swimsuits.

When you are planning to hit the beach anytime soon and you want to wear comfortable and fashionable swimsuits, then you would want to visit a shop. Swim wear shops carry wide collection of different types of swimwear, from two-piece and one-piece swimwear, board shorts, to rash guards.

If you want to buy affordable swim wears, it is wise to buy during off-season as swimsuit shops tend to give big discounts. However, you should keep an eye on the items you buy to make sure that you only quality and authentic pieces.

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