Design Museum diving into the history of swimming

London’s Design Museum will celebrate a century of swimming and style with its new ‘Splash!’ exhibition this year, including the iconic red swimsuit worn by actress Pamela Anderson in the US TV series Baywatch.

‘Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style’ will open on March 28 and will explore swimming’s evolution over the past 100 years in its social, cultural, technological and environmental contexts, from Britain’s lido boom during the early 20th century to the viral Mermaidcore trend of the 2020s.

The exhibition will feature more than 200 objects from around 50 lenders across Europe, including the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by British woman Lucy Morton in the 200m breaststroke at the 1924 Paris games, the controversial and now-banned LZR Racer high-performance swimsuit developed by Speedo and Nasa, which led to claims of “technical doping,” and one of the earliest surviving examples of a bikini.

There will be three in-depth sections designed to reflect the three locations in which we swim - the pool, the lido and nature, which will dive into design’s role in shaping our relationship with swimming, from sports performance and fashion to architecture, environmental issues and body image.

Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch swimsuit to be displayed at Design Museum in London

The exhibition will be guest-curated by Amber Butchart, a dress and design historian and broadcaster known for her history segments on BBC One’s ‘The Great British Sewing Bee,’ and will also chart the evolution of swimwear for men, including one of the oldest items on display - a striped woollen swimsuit from 1933, produced under the Bukta label.

The most eye-catching men’s items will be the display of 10 Speedo briefs, ranging from the 1980s to the present day.

The exhibition will also explore the story of swimwear for sporting performance, including examining advances in textile technology, such as the 1930s woollen Jantzen Swimsuit with a Y-shaped back that was designed for speed improvements, and a 1960s swimsuit which was made of Bri-Nylon and designed with Olympic champion swimmer Judy Grinham, who was only the second woman to win solo gold for Britain in the pool in the Olympics.

There will also be a section examining who swimwear is designed by and for, and how it determines which bodies are welcomed in public spaces. This will focus on contemporary swimwear designers whose work enhances bodily autonomy and agency, and challenges previous ideas around access to pools and beaches.

Tim Marlow, director and chief executive of the Design Museum, said in a statement: “The story of swimming is more than just a story of sport, as our new exhibition will make abundantly clear.

“By examining the culture of swimming through the lens of design, we will explore a range of evolving ideas about the way we have lived from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, from materials and making to leisure, travel, performance, wellbeing and the environment. It’s another innovative exhibition that will show visitors to the Design Museum the profound impact of design in almost every aspect of our lives.”

‘Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style’ will run at the Design Museum in London from March 28 March to August 17.