Fashion V Sport, London

Olympic fever has a habit of creeping up in unlikely places. The global sporting extravaganza brings out patriotism in people not normally predisposed to national pride and levels of sporting interest from unlikely sources. One such source is the fashion world, whose relationship with sport, though often important, is a bit fickle outside dedicated sportswear brands.

Click here to see more of the exhibition.

But a new exhibition at London’s V&A would have us think differently. Fashion V Sport shows the extent of the two worlds’ commingling in a number of guises, illustrating how extensive their mutual influence really is. From the realms of high fashion, such as Bernard Wilhelm’s Spring/Summer 07 print based on American bodybuilders, to the mainstream - David Beckham fronting Emporio Armani’s underwear campaign – it’s suggested that fashion and sport have far more in common than you might assume.

Tracing the history as well as the extent of this marriage of industries, the collection of references is exhaustive and fascinating, intelligent and often humorous. All credit to the exhibition’s curator Ligaya Salazar for making what could be a dry subject nothing short of riveting. From customised sportswear by fashion brands to extraordinarily obsessive collectors, one of our favourite sections is the more extreme products - anyone for diamond-encrusted laces?

6 August 2008 | Fashion