For anyone close to Toronto we recommend the ‘Smarter. Faster. Tougher’ exhibition at the Design Exchange’s satellite site in Toronto’s historic Distillery District. The exhibit was commissioned as part of the Panamania arts and culture festival in tandem with the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
“We’re really looking at the wide influence of sportswear both as an industry, as a culture. (And) in terms of performance, what it means for our professional athletes during the Pan Am Games but also for the athlete exercising on weekends,” said exhibit curator Marie O’Mahony.
“Smarter. Faster. Tougher.” is divided into four sections: performance, fashion, nature and ethnographic influence. An interactive zone allows visitors to see and feel materials.
Both national and international brands are on display, with apparel and accessories featured for summer and winter sports spanning everything from soccer to skiing.
A special app acts as a digital companion to the exhibit, allowing visitors to use tablets provided on-site to access additional information about the pieces, said Hart Reed, first year master’s student in digital futures at OCAD University in Toronto.