Tom Daley opens his first exhibition featuring his knitted works in Tokyo

Tom Daley speaking about his Tokyo exhibition. Photo: Getty Images

Tom Daley knits. That we know. But that the work is good enough for an exhibition—in Tokyo, no less—is rather enlightening. Opened yesterday at the Parco Museum in Shibuya (in the department store itself), the exhibition pays tribute to Mr Daley’s knitted work, including clothing, such as those shown on his Instagram page Made with Love by Tom Daley. The exhibition is similarly named, possibly to augment the image of creativity that Mr Daley has maintained at least since 2020, when the IG page dedicated to his knitting was created. But it is not clear if his knitted Speedos will be on show.

It’s a homecoming of sort for Mr Daley, who recently announced his retirement from Olympic diving. When he first caught the world’s attention with his knitting, it was in Tokyo, during the Olympics of 2021 (when he won a gold with diving partner Matty Lee). He was photographed sitting in the bleachers with yarn and knitting needles, and the world went wild, with media headline confirming that men knit, including Olympians. Mr Daley has showed himself deep in his needlecraft during the Paris games, as well as at home and anywhere purl-and-knit dexterity is welcomed.

One of the exhibits at Made with Love. Photo: tomdaley/Instagram

Through the exhibition, the diver hopes to “take people on the journey of how I learned how to knit, why I learned how to knit, and then taking it all the way through to all of my creations,” he told AFP. It is not known how many pieces of his colourful creations would be on display or if it would a chronological narrative, but he did say on IG: “I’m proud to share my knitting journey back where it all began.” There is a practical reason to why Mr Daley chose knitting to occupy his time. He said it made him sit still so that his body can recover from training sessions or between dives. Unexpectedly, he “became completely obsessed by it”.

Parco Museum introduces Mr Daley as a “knitwear artist”. From what is seen on his socials, it is hard to determine if his pieces approach the realm of art, such as with the works of American knitter Jim Drain or, in Japan (home of popular knitting mag Amirisu), Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. Reportedly, some of the exhibits would be auctioned, with the proceeds going to a Tokyo-based LGBTQ organisation. Mr Daley told AFP: “For me it’s about the community, it’s about the craft, it’s about being hand-made and slowing down. That’s something that I love about knitting, that it’s incredibly valuable for mental health as well.”

Made with Love by Tom Daley runs till 25 November at the Parco Museum, Level 4, Shibuya Parco. Admission fee: 1,000 yen