About

Sukumizu (Japanese: スクール水着, lit. School Swimsuit), also known as "school mizugi", is a variant of swimwear used in Japanese schools during swimming lessons. The term sukumizu can refer to the swimming attire worn by either males or females, however it is commonly used for the latter. The typical sukumizu consists of either a one-piece or two-piece suit for females, while males typically wear swimming trunks. They are traditionally coloured dark blue to prevent the attire becoming visually transparent when wet. Most female sukumizu feature a name tag attached to the chest area to identify the students wearing them.

Origin

The original sukumizu style swimsuit emerged in the late 1950s due to the greater availability of nylon for manufacturing, allowing more companies to secure production deals. Since its inception, the female style has changed multiple times, with five variations existing. Originally, the attire was comprised of two separate pieces, however, it has evolved into a one-piece in recent years. The five variations are known as the "old-old type", the "old type", the "new type", the "competition type", and the "spats type". The two oldest types feature a slight skirted portion that overhangs the waist are typically the most popular versions that feature in media.

Spread

WIP

Sukumizu are heavily featured in many anime and manga series, commonly used as a form of fanservice or moe appeal. Due to their prominence in Japanese school life, they are often seen being worn by characters either swimming at school or at the beach. In many cases, younger looking characters will wear the attire to emphasise immaturity due to the attire being worn by school aged girls. A TV Tropes page^[1] focusing on the clothing has been created.