This year, Speedo, the iconic Pentland-owned swimwear brand, celebrates its 90th birthday.

The Speedo name was born in 1928, when founder, Alexander MacRae, held a staff competition to rename the company after inventing the Racerback costume. Captain Parsonson, a former sailor, received five pounds for his slogan, ‘Speed on in your Speedos’.

Speedo is rich in innovation and history, so it follows that the brand will be marking the anniversary with a variety of activities:

Supporting World Oceans Day

Speedo will make a stand in support of keeping the world’s oceans clean, so they can be enjoyed by future generations of swimmers.  On Friday 8th June 2018, teams from the UK and Australia will host an ocean clean in honour of World Oceans Day.

Water Baby Forever: Celebrating 90 Years Young

Speedo’s latest campaign ‘Water Baby Forever: Celebrating 90 Years Young’, tells the stories of those who love swimming, regardless of age, ability, or experience in the water.

As part of the campaign, the water babies recently gathered at the iconic Iceberg pool on Bondi Beach, Australia, to create a human ’90’ mosaic.

Rob Hicking, Brand Director for Speedo, says, “Our 90th birthday is a very special one to us, it signifies what a long way we’ve come since Speedo’s conception in 1928 and all the fantastic things we’ve done to support swimmers, at all levels, around the world.”

Pentland teams join in the celebrations

Pentland offices across the world have also joined in the celebrations by showcasing vintage Speedo product including kit worn by Olympic champions through the ages, Speedo’s fabric world-firsts and iconic sporting achievements.