Designed to Win exhibition at the Design Museum

An exhibition of design for sports is on show at the Design Museum in London to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics.

Above: Michael Phelps in SpeedoFastskin3 racing suit with goggles, 2012. Image courtesy of Speedo International Limited.
Top: Chris Hoy at the London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects.

Over 100 pieces of sporting equipment and clothing from over 30 different types of activity are on display, including racing bicycles, rowing boats, bobsleighs, Paralympic wheelchairs and F1 cars.

Above: Mark Cavendish wearing Oakley Radarlock. Image courtesy of Oakley.

There's also a section dedicated to sporting controversies, showcasing design improvements that have been withdrawn or outlawed because they're so effective they're seen to create an unfair advantage.

Above: London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects.

Other categories are Sport and Fashion, notably Hussain Chalayan’s Puma Collection and Stella McCartney’s Team GB Kit, and Training and Safety where visitors can try out some of the equipment for themselves.

Above: Radarlock Path – Blood Orange with Fire Iridium Polarized by Oakley. Image courtesy of Oakley.

The show continues until 18 November.

Above: Williams FW33 F1 Racing Car.

See all our stories about design for sport »

Exhibition photographs are by Luke Hayes.

Here's some more information from the Design Museum:

Designed to Win
In association with Oakley

Designed to Win celebrates the ways in which design and sport are combined, pushing the limits of human endeavour to achieve records and victories of increasing significance and wonder. From the design of F1 cars to running shoes, racing bikes to carbon fibre javelins, the quest for enhanced performance and function is endless. Designed to Win explores the various way in which design has shaped the sporting world, celebrating the introduction of revolutionary new materials such as Neoprene and carbon fibre, new technologies, fashions and sporting equipment, all of which have transformed sporting enterprise.
Designed to Win demonstrates the process of designing sporting equipment and its various influences, including material innovations, sporting constraints, nature and science. With new innovations and continued refinement, athletes have become faster, stronger and fitter, in turn transforming the role of sport beyond the sporting arena and now encompassing areas as diverse as fashion, advertising, art, film, design, business and politics.

Above: Williams FW33 F1 Racing Car.

The exhibition explores key moments where design has played a significant role in progressing sport and looks at themes of safety and performance. The exhibition highlights examples where sporting bodies have intervened to limit the effects of ‘technological doping’, where new equipment is deemed to give some athletes an unfair advantage over others. Raising the question, where does human ability stop and the contest between designers, scientists and engineers begin? By examining celebrated sporting moments and the sense of shared celebration and spectacle, the exhibition will look at not just how design can influence sport, but also how sport has influenced design, art and culture.

Above: manequins wearing outfits for different sports.

Global marketing campaigns and sports fashion lines reap huge financial rewards and in a profession where the difference between winning and losing can be as little as a fraction of a second, the importance of design is of paramount importance. Advances in sports training, sportswear and health science have resulted in enhanced performance and a greater understanding of the human body. Design to Win also looks at how design has revolutionised sports opportunities for people with physical impairments.