Design Museum’s New Exhibition Is a Step-By-Step Guide In the Evolution of Skateboard Design

London’s Design Museum is counting down to Paris’ Olympic Games with the opening of its new exhibition, Skateboard. Marking Britain’s largest skateboarding exhibit, the Design Museum will document the creative process behind deck design through history. 

Opening this Fall, it celebrates skateboarding’s Olympic return and continues to cement its importance worldwide. Skateboard will showcase a step-by-step guide into board craftsmanship over the past 70 years, exploring its transformation since the 1950s. The retrospective features over 200 objects that reflect the sport’s on-wheel development, from rare skateboards to magazines and DVDs. 

Working alongside the Skateboarding Hall of Fame Museum in California, the exhibition will display over 50 boards used by world-class athletes on international ramps. The chronological structure puts each decade under the spotlight, detailing the evolution of materials and anatomy alongside pivotal moments that shaped skateboarding forever. From Tony Hawk to Laura Thornhill, their pro-model skateboards will be dissected beside Palace‘s London-based impact and Sky Brown‘s bronze win in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Take a closer look at select items exhibited at the Design Museum’s Skateboardexhibition above. Skateboard will open at the Design Museum in London on October 20 and close on June 2, 2024.