Design Museum delves into the history of swimming

London’s Design Museum is celebrating a century of swimming and style this year with its new exhibition Splash! Included is, among other things, the iconic red swimsuit that actress Pamela Anderson wore in the US television series Baywatch.

“Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style opens on March 28 and explores the evolution of swimming over the last 100 years in its social, cultural, technological and environmental contexts, from Britain’s lido boom in the early 20th century to the viral mermaidcore trend of the 2020s.

The exhibition shows more than 200 objects from around 50 lenders from all over Europe, including the first Olympic gold medal in individual swimming, which Britain’s Lucy Morton won in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1924 Games in Paris, the controversial and now banned high performance -LZR Racer swimsuit, which was developed by Speedo and NASA and led to accusations of “technical doping,” and one of the earliest surviving examples of a bikini.

The exhibition is divided into three detailed sections that reflect the three places in which we swim – the swimming pool, the outdoor pool and nature. It examines the role of design in shaping our relationship with swimming, from athletic performance and fashion to architecture, environmental issues and body image.

Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch swimsuit on display at the Design Museum in London

The exhibition’s guest curator is Amber Butchart, a clothing and design historian and presenter known for her historical features on BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee. The exhibition also traces the evolution of men’s swimwear, including one of the oldest exhibits – a striped wool swimsuit from 1933, made under the Bukta label. One of the most eye-catching men’s items is the presentation of ten Speedo briefs from the 1980s to today.

The exhibition also highlights the history of swimwear for elite athletic performance and examines advances in textile technology, such as the 1930s Jantzen wool swimsuit with a Y-shaped back designed to improve speed, and a 1960s swimsuit made from Bri -Nylon designed in collaboration with Olympic champion Judy Grinham, who became the second woman to win individual gold for Great Britain in swimming at the Olympics.

Another section of the exhibition examines who and for whom swimwear is designed and how this determines which bodies are welcome in public spaces. The focus is on contemporary swimwear designers whose work strengthens bodily autonomy and agency and challenges previous ideas about access to swimming pools and beaches.

“The history of swimming is more than just a sporting history, as our new exhibition will make clear,” said Tim Marlow, director and chief executive of the Design Museum. “By looking at the culture of swimming through the lens of design, we explore a range of it evolving ideas about our way of life from the early 20th century to the present, from materials and manufacturing to leisure, travel, performance, well-being and the environment. It is another innovative exhibition that shows Design Museum visitors the profound impact of design on almost every aspect of our lives.”

“Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style is on view at the Design Museum in London from March 28th to August 17th.