Swimming Trunks
1970s
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This pair of swimming briefs was produced by the swimwear brand Swordfish in England during the 1970’s. The garment was donated to the V&A by collector Ann Putterill along with two other items. In the 1980’s Putterill became interested in and amassed a collection of over 400 affordable, pop and photo print garments. She purchased these swim shorts in a second-hand store at the beach resort of Mount Monganui, New Zealand in the 1980’s.
The swimming briefs are made from stretch polyester and are printed with a denim jean effect. They feature an assortment of mildly provocative photo-print placements, such as half open zipper on the fly and badges with suggestive motifs or slogans.
New technical advances in printing processes in the 1960’s such as screen printing on synthetic fabrics, transformed the way textile designers worked. These swim shorts are a good example of how these processes could produce affordable, humorous, and playful clothing for the mass market.
The swimming briefs are made from stretch polyester and are printed with a denim jean effect. They feature an assortment of mildly provocative photo-print placements, such as half open zipper on the fly and badges with suggestive motifs or slogans.
New technical advances in printing processes in the 1960’s such as screen printing on synthetic fabrics, transformed the way textile designers worked. These swim shorts are a good example of how these processes could produce affordable, humorous, and playful clothing for the mass market.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Machine-stitched printed texturised polyester with airtex lining and woven cord. |
| Brief description | Swimming Trunks, trompe l'oeil design of jean shorts with belt, keys and money, by Swordfish beachwear, 1970s |
| Physical description | Trunk swimming shorts with trompe l'oeil blue denim jean print on front and back. The print shows the 'jeans' worn with a brown leather belt and contents such as keys and money held in the pockets. On the front, the belt loops are holding a set of keys and keyring and the printed zipper is partially undone. The denim features two sewn-on patches and a 'Superman' logo badge. On the back two pockets contain an 'Access' credit card (The words 'Mr' are visible), a £1 note and £5 note, a floral patch and a round badge that reads 'Yes! Please'. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Gift of Ann Putterill |
| Summary | This pair of swimming briefs was produced by the swimwear brand Swordfish in England during the 1970’s. The garment was donated to the V&A by collector Ann Putterill along with two other items. In the 1980’s Putterill became interested in and amassed a collection of over 400 affordable, pop and photo print garments. She purchased these swim shorts in a second-hand store at the beach resort of Mount Monganui, New Zealand in the 1980’s. The swimming briefs are made from stretch polyester and are printed with a denim jean effect. They feature an assortment of mildly provocative photo-print placements, such as half open zipper on the fly and badges with suggestive motifs or slogans. New technical advances in printing processes in the 1960’s such as screen printing on synthetic fabrics, transformed the way textile designers worked. These swim shorts are a good example of how these processes could produce affordable, humorous, and playful clothing for the mass market. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.41-2022 |
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| Record created | October 30, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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