Iconic

By Ed Biado

Speedo is known for its eponymous genericized trademark used to pertain to any skimpy swimming briefs. Yet, the brand seems to want to distance itself from the famous posing pouch (which it introduced in the first place) and divert attention to its other products.

First, the why. The recreational use of Speedos?the style, not the brand?has been the subject of longstanding debates since the day it debuted in the arena. Statistics will show that they?re only popular in European countries where people are more comfortable with nudity (partial or full). A survey conducted by Austin Silver for AskMen.com proves that Americans prefer trunks and board shorts because briefs are, to sum it up, unflattering. A New Zealand newspaper reports the same findings among its local respondents. In the Philippines, you don?t need a survey to deduce that the conservative Filipino will never be caught tanning in something barely there.

Through the years, the image of Speedos has gone from athletic to sexual, or for some, even offensive. Therefore, it?s no surprise that Speedo?the brand, not the style?would want to pursue other means of marketing.

Now, the how. At its recent launch on Feb. 17 at the British Embassy, of course, the briefs, in their five and eight-centimeter styles, had to be present because Speedo still makes them. The way to un-sexualizing them was in the presentation. And that?s where it all came crashing down.

The runway show was divided into two segments: one was to highlight the young, vibrant and fresh designs and the other was to emphasize that the brand is the choice of winning athletes; although it wasn?t clear enough where one ended and the other began. Models would pose as if they were about to plunge for a dive, only to revert to model stance and begin their runway walk. There were also street dancers and then, models again, but this time, they were dancing too. There was even a point when they would play with yoyos while walking.

The weirdest part of it all was the final walk. A dozen or so models donned the Fastskin LZR Racer?the same one that we saw too much of at the Beijing Olympics?walked the runway in two lines, stopped in the middle, then raised their hands for a few seconds. Then, they just put their hands down and walked backstage. Confusing would be an understatement.

Conceptually, it would have been great. There are two fantastic ideas?one, exploring the fun ?beachy? youth vibe, and two, reminding everyone that the swimsuits are top-of-the-line?but it just came out messy and incoherent.

Still, even with that episode, no one can deny that Speedo is always ahead of the pack in technology, innovation and cool new products in their ever-expanding lines. Their Spring/Summer 2009 collections are a mix of fashionable beach companions like the taper triangle two-piece bikinis, long, medium and short board shorts (or watershorts, as they like to call them), velocity-enhancing racer bodysuits, legskins and jammers, gymwear, leisurewear and other swimming equipment.

But at the end of the day, no matter how you look at it, no matter how many image facelifts it undergoes, Speedo will always be synonymous to that daring, no-room-for-imagination, little five-centimeter piece of fabric that we call, well, Speedos.