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X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.textilesociety.org.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Textile Society
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DTSTART:20250330T010000
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250328T100000
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DTSTAMP:20260501T202905
CREATED:20250721T022038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250721T022038Z
UID:19472-1743156000-1755450000@www.textilesociety.org.uk
SUMMARY:Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style
DESCRIPTION:Celebrating our century-long love affair with swimming and the influence of design on everything from swimwear to art deco architecture.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSplash! takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the design of swimming over the past century. Celebrating our love of water\, this exhibition explores how swimming has shaped culture\, fashion\, and fitness since the 1920s. \nFrom the rise of swimwear as performance wear to the iconic lidos that lined Britain’s coast\, Splash! dives deep into the intersection of style\, sport\, and architecture. Curated by design historian Amber Butchart\, it offers a refreshing perspective on how swimming influences autonomy\, agency\, and modern life. \nAcross three in-depth sections that reflect the three locations in which we swim — the pool\, the lido and nature — the exhibition dives into design’s role in shaping our relationship with swimming\, both in the water and beside it. \nThe exhibition’s story starts in the 1920s\, when swimwear began to be marketed for swimming rather than the Victorian’s preference for bathing\, and when beach holidays exploded in popularity. It explores right up to the present day\, and swimming’s role in modern life such as how it influences and subverts our ideas of body autonomy and agency\, as well as its link to environmental issues. \nDiscover over 200 objects\, collectively exploring swimming’s evolution in its social\, cultural\, technological and environmental contexts\, including Pamela Anderson’s sensational Baywatch swimsuit\, the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by a British woman\, and a selection of eye-catching men’s Speedos from the 1980s. Other objects on view are the banned ‘technical doping’ LZR Racer swimsuit\, one of the earliest surviving examples of a bikini\, and a detailed architectural model of the Zaha Hadid-designed London 2012 Aquatics Centre. \nSplash! is 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. \n\n\n\nEvent Details
URL:https://www.textilesociety.org.uk/event/splash-a-century-of-swimming-and-style
LOCATION:The Design Museum\, 224–238 Kensington High Street\, London\, W8 6AG
CATEGORIES:Other Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.textilesociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Design-Museum-2.jpg
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