Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style at the Design Museum

27^th March 2025

Constance A

Constance A

27 March 2025

As the weather in London tentatively warms up, the Design Museum has unveiled an exhibition that feels impeccably timed: Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style. It is, in every sense, a buoyant celebration of our enduring, often ecstatic, relationship with water. Spanning the last 100 years, the show assembles more than 200 objects to chart, not only the evolution of poolside fashion, but also the deeper currents beneath our aquatic obsessions.

This exhibition is guest-curated by Amber Butchart, the dress historian best known for her appearances on BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee. Her curatorial voice is unmistakable: stylish, and steeped in the semiotics of clothing. Unsurprisingly, there is fashion in abundance, and swimwear takes centre stage. We trace the story of the swimsuit from the 1920s, when Victorian notions of bathing gave way to the freer pleasures of swimming, and beach holidays became not just desirable but indispensable.

The story of the bikini is told chronologically. You start with one of the earliest models, modest by today’s standards though radical for its time, and pointedly named after Bikini Atoll, the site of American nuclear testing. You make it through the monokinis of the 1960s, provocatively “topless” swimsuits. The journey ends with couture pieces from the 2020s. Many of these garments are on loan from Germany’s delightfully niche BikiniARTmuseum – a must-visit. The pièce de résistance is Pamela Anderson’s original red Baywatch one-piece in the flesh (almost): a celebrity relic so iconic it feels uncanny. It’s carefully displayed to echo the curves of Anderson’s silhouette.

But it isn’t all about bikinis. Menswear gets its due, too. A playful lineup of ten Speedo briefs, from the 1980s to present, documents the shooting aesthetics of men’s swim fashion, revealing how Speedos became known (and sometimes gently mocked) for their unapologetically bold designs. Elsewhere, you get a Lanvin cotton towelling beach peignoir, silk beach pyjamas from the 1930s, an array of swimming caps, beach dresses, reef shoes, and more. It’s all really elegant and unexpectedly inspiring. You leave tempted to overhaul your entire 2025 summer wardrobe and finally retire that ten-year-old Calzedonia number lurking in the drawer.

Beyond its joyful parade of bikinis, Splash! also charts the architecture of swimming, from iconic pools and lidos to beaches around the globe. There’s a model of Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Centre, built for the 2012 Olympics, and a short video celebrating Penzance’s Jubilee Pool, an iconic lido with a bold triangular form, opened in 1935 and still in use today. There are nods to New York’s now-closed floating bathhouses (1870-1942), or to the Hampstead Heath ponds, where Londoners still queue for their weekend plunge. Wild swimming, now practically a civic religion in the UK, naturally makes an appearance. After all, if you’re not plunging into the Serpentine Lido at 9am on a Saturday, are you even a real Londoner?

Competitive swimming gets its moment, too, with the controversial LZR Racer suit, banned shortly after its 2008 debut for giving Olympians a technical edge, and a trove of memorabilia, including the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by a British woman. Among the most charming: a pair of Speedos once worn by Tom Daley, Britain’s diving sweetheart, alongside a knitted jumper of his own creation (Daley being as celebrated now for his wholesome knitwear as for his aerial acrobatics).

And then there’s the mermaids. Or, more accurately, the mermaid “core”. TikTok’s Mermaidcore trend is an internet-fuelled cultural offshoot where people dress and swim as merfolk. It’s said to have been inspired by Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid and Netflix’s documentary series “MerPeople”, both released in 2023. The phenomenon of “mermaiding” now boasts “mermaid academies” and a robust subculture, all devoted to aquatic fantasy. A cover of The Face Magazine featuring Halle Bailey as Ariel underscores the trend. She appears in a mermaid tail, with wet, wavy hair, iridescent makeup and impossibly wide eyes, embodying a modern aquatic fantasy.

By the end, you might just be convinced to throw on your swimwear, grab a towel, and make a splash somewhere nearby. If so, the Design Museum gift shop has you covered with swimming caps, gym sacks, beach bags and more. And if you’re keen to keep exploring, there are plenty of fantastic exhibitions at the Design Museum to dive into. Well worth a visit!

Constance Ayrton
Photos: Luke Hayes

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style is at from 28^th March until 17^th August 2025. For further information or to book visit the exhibition’s website here.