Leicester Museum 80s exhibition salutes shell suits and leg warmers

A museum is set to celebrate the garish tastes of the 1980s by staging an exhibition dedicated to the decade.

Leicester Museum and Art Gallery will be remembering the days of shell suits, leg warmers and boomboxes in its I Grew Up 80s exhibition, starting on Saturday.

The show - due to run until 29 August - will include a host of memorabilia, including toys and technology.

Matt Fox, who is behind the show, said he hoped people would relive memories.

Mr Fox, a collector and cultural commentator who was also behind the museum's record-breaking Star Wars-themed exhibition in 2018, said: "I hope the exhibition will have mums and dads sharing memories and stories with their kids."

Mr Fox, who was eight in 1980, said: "Those of us who grew up 30-40 years ago, pre-internet, can genuinely state that life was very different then.

"We roamed out on our bikes, away from our parents and without the umbilical cord of mobile phones.

"In cinemas, Star Wars had ushered in a new era of special FX movies, music was a feelgood riot of colour and sound, and games consoles and home computers had transformed the humble telly into a host of imaginary worlds

"This collection is a nostalgic look back at objects that many people either owned, or perhaps desperately wanted to own."

Memorabilia on display will include beautifully-preserved examples from the decade, with all items belonging to Mr Fox.

The exhibition is also touring to other sites in the UK.

Deputy city mayor Piara Singh Clair said: "This exhibition will be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for anyone over 40, but the fascinating items on display are sure to appeal to children and young people too.

"We're delighted to have I Grew Up 80s as our summer exhibition this year, and hope that it proves to be as popular as the Star Wars-themed show that Matt brought to Leicester four years ago."

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