Editing Speedo (section)

=== Post-War expansion ===
After devoting most of its resources to the [[War effort]] during [[Australia during World War II|World War II]], Speedo enjoyed a great [[post-war]] demand for swimsuits, specifically the recently invented [[bikini]] style. The company quickly reestablished itself as a leader in swimwear manufacturing and once again drew controversy when its two-piece was banned by Australian beach inspectors.<ref name=Speedo6 /> In 1951, Speedo Knitting Mills (Holdings) Ltd. [[Corporation|incorporated]] and [[Initial public offering|went public]], selling its stock on the [[Australian Securities Exchange|Sydney Stock Exchange]].<ref name=Speedo6 /> In 1955, nylon was used for the first time in the company's swimsuits<ref name=Speedo7>{{cite web |url=http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/inventions.htm |title=The Inventive Australian Mind |access-date=16 January 2011 |work=ConvictCreations.Com |archive-date=15 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215005215/http://convictcreations.com/culture/inventions.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the next year, the increasingly popular swimsuit brand returned to the Olympics when its home country hosted the [[1956 Summer Olympics|Melbourne Summer Games]].<ref name=Speedo3 /> The Speedo sponsored [[Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics|Australian men's swim team]] took home eight [[gold medal]]s<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/AUS/summer/1956/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417044353/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/AUS/summer/1956/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games |access-date=12 October 2010 |work=sports-reference.com}}</ref> and brought a new worldwide level of notoriety to the company which debuted the [[swim briefs]] that would become synonymous with the brand name. By 1957, Speedo had the exclusive licence to manufacture and distribute [[Jockey International|Jockey]] brand men's underwear in Australia.<ref name=Speedo9>{{cite news |title=Australia's Finest Sportswear |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lXhWAAAAIBAJ&dq=speedo%20knitting%20mills&pg=1072%2C5251610 |newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=25 February 1957 |access-date=17 January 2011}}</ref> The company finished off the 1950s by exporting to the United States and exploring potential opportunities in South America, Europe, New Zealand and Japan.<ref name=Speedo6 />

The end of the 1950s also saw the beginning of a long-lasting business partnership which continues to this day. In 1958, Speedo began the manufacture of American [[Warnaco Group|Warnaco's]] [[White Stag (clothing)|White Stag]] ski-wear line. In exchange, in 1961, White Stag became the exclusive US distributor of Speedo swimwear. Through White Stag, Speedo's product line expanded to include men's and women's sportswear.<ref name=Speedo10>{{cite news |title=Profits |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gIVWAAAAIBAJ&dq=speedo&pg=2816%2C6331813 |newspaper= Sydney Morning Herald |date=17 April 1970 |access-date=17 January 2011}}</ref> By the middle of the 1960s, Speedo had acquired 30% of [[Nottingham]], England textile manufacturer Robert Shaw & Company and had established a European subsidiary. Licences were also granted to Japanese and South American corporations.<ref name=Speedo6 /> The [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics]] saw 27 of the 29 gold medalists—22 of which set world records—wearing Speedo brand swimsuits.<ref name=Speedo6 />

Speedo began the next decade by completing its acquisition of Robert Shaw & Company in 1971.<ref name=Speedo8>{{Google books|T1fgAAAAMAAJ|Costume: the journal of The Costume Society, Volume 1; Volume 35; Volume 24|page=80}}</ref> The 1970s also saw the company pioneer the use of [[spandex|elastane (spandex)]] and the brand's use in Olympic record breaking continued at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] and [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]] games, the latter of which Speedo was an official swimwear licensee.<ref name=Speedo6 />

On [[Australia Day]], 26 January 1981 the [[Australian Institute of Sport]] opened in [[Canberra]], with Speedo as its first official sponsor.<ref name=Speedo6 /> Also early in the decade, Speedo provided equipment and training to China<ref name=Speedo6 /> to aid the communist country's return to the Olympics for first time since 1958.<ref name="China Olympism">{{cite journal |journal=Olympic Review |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]] |editor=Monique Berlioux |issue=190–191 |date=August–September 1983 |title=China and Olympism |pages=583–592 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1983/ore190/ORE190za.pdf |access-date=13 August 2008}}</ref> Throughout the decade, the brand expanded its reach in Europe by licensing production in Italy, Spain, Sweden and other nations, bringing its total distribution to 112 countries.<ref name=Speedo6 />