Ensemble thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Ensemble

2012 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Blue T-shirt with white undershirt lining and cutouts exposing body beneath, blue trousers with white and orange inset panels.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • T-Shirt
  • Trousers
Materials and techniques
cotton jersey
Brief description
Christopher Shannon. T-shirt and trousers designed for the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Physical description
Blue T-shirt with white undershirt lining and cutouts exposing body beneath, blue trousers with white and orange inset panels.
Dimensions
  • Height: 1650mm (Note: Display footprint)
  • Width: 470mm (Note: Display footprint)
  • Depth: 490mm (Note: Display footprint)
Credit line
Given by Charlie Porter
Object history
This is part of a group of early 2010s menswear donated to the V&A by Charlie Porter, one of the most influential British menswear fashion journalists of the early 21st century. In 2000 Porter became deputy fashion editor for The Guardian, and since then, has worked as an associate editor for GQ and deputy editor for Fantastic Man. He currently writes for The Financial Times as their menswear critic, in addition to his freelance work, DJ-ing and maintaining an active blogging presence online. Porter is particularly known for his understanding of contemporary menswear and familiarity with developing streetwear and alternative trends.

At the time of the donation, Porter provided commentary on many of the pieces. He said of this piece:

"Olympic ensemble - I remember watching the Olympic opening ceremony at the George and Dragon pub on the Hackney Road in East London. There was a party scene, where a swarm of extras came out into the Olympic Stadium. Straight away I saw that one of them was wearing something by Christopher Shannon. It was immediately recognisable as his work, while also not being from any collection that I recognised. It turned out that Shannon, along with Nasir Mazhar and Michael van der Ham, had been secretly asked to design costumes for the Opening Ceremony to represent young fashion in the city.

The pieces he made had his typical humour and playful sexuality, especially the cut-out T-shirt that would expose parts of the body when worn. I was visiting Shannon at his studio a few months afterwards, and he had a rail of the clothes left over that he didn’t know what to do with. He said I could take as many as I wanted - they seemed a remarkable thing to be able to own."

- Daniel Milford-Cottam
20/05/2016
Collection
Accession number
T.84:1&2-2015

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Record createdAugust 5, 2015
Record URL
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