The V&A rarely gets it wrong when it comes to curating fashion exhibitions, from the amazing Westwood retrospective to the spectacular ‘Golden Age of Couture’ the folks at VAM seem to get it spot on every time. Unsurprisingly, Fashion V Sport follows suit, an incredibly interesting investigation into the relationship between contemporary fashion and sportswear, it’s only fault being its relegation to the smaller Porter Gallery, the whole thing feeling a little like a shorthand version of what could’ve been a much more in-depth exhibition.

Aitor Throup for Stone Island

That aside, the show does exactly what it says on the tin and does it brilliantly, illustrating the continuing popularity of the sports/fashion crossover, something the Brits in particular have always been fond of. Home-grown labels play a starring role in Room 1, entitled DARE (Technical Innovation). On display Fred Perry, a label which has come to represent the increasingly blurred line between function and fashion – their gorgeous knitwear collaboration with Jessica Ogden on show.

Aitor Throup deconstructs terrace favourite Stone Island’s puffa jacket; from 3D pattern, ‘reconstruction’ video to finished item, highlighting the technical intricacies behind what appears to be a relatively simple design. Similarly, North London’s Dashing Tweeds – on first sight a collection of traditional English cycle-wear, turns into something far more complex when exposed to my little Canon’s flash – old school tailored tweeds woven with reflective Lumatwill yarn, invisible until exposed to bright light, transforming into Savile rows answer to the generic yellow vest.

Dashing Tweeds

A peek at the newly released Visionaire Issue 54 was a nice touch too, their Lacoste polo pack represented by a rather striking design courtesy of photographer Phil Poynter.

Lacoste

Room 2: DISPLAY (Individuality & Uniformity), looks at the way in which standard sports pieces are modified by designer and wearer to create both high-fashion pieces and everyday streetwear. The outrageously garish Dr Romanelli has been jumbling together old tracksuits to create his very own hip-hop patchwork for years while Nike continues to collaborate with just about everyone including the customers themselves. The real interest in this room though were the Bernhard Willhelm pieces, a master of eccentric oversized sportswear whose influences include dinosaurs, 80s cartoons and, erm, brick walls. Underrated Japanese casual wear brand Uniform Experiment by Sophnet also deserves a mention with their smart sweatshirt suit and jersey creations from the likes of Westwood, Dries Van Noten and Rykiel.

Onto Room 3: PLAY (Exaggeration & Vibrancy), a neon explosion of the SuperSuper variety, the latest chapter in the sportswear story where tech-wear attempts multicoloured irony at the expense of my corneas. Not my cup of tea on a night out, although nu-rave does strangely make more sense in the context of a museum. The stand out piece had to be the Dior couture outfit - not suitable for wallflowers.

Last but not least, Room 4: DESIRE (Obsessive behaviour) focuses on the point where consumption of sportswear turns into obsession. Chanel Fishing kit anyone? If it can be encrusted in jewels or dipped in gold it will be. From the comparatively sober Paul Smith bike to handmade crocodile skin Nikes (complete with diamond shoelaces) this section really captures the outlandish lengths some go to express wealth and status through ‘high-casual’ collectibles. The line between appreciation and worship becomes almost invisible as we’re introduced to Kish’s 1000+ trainer collection and Phil Tucker’s never-ending Fila shirt wall. Whilst admittedly a jump from determined sneakerheads ready to cue overnight for the latest limited release, the power of cult in sportswear is the same. For those who prefer desire of the more, erm, biblical sense, a peep-box allows visitors to check out a sweaty David Beckham and various half-naked Italian footballers in advertising campaigns using sex and football to sell everything from deodorant to fancy y-fronts. A cheeky end to yet another V&A victory.

Chanel fishing kit

Fila shirt wall