Umbrellas have pretty much been the same for, well, forever. Now, designers Matthew Waldman of Nooka and Justin Nagelberg have partnered up to reimagine the rainy day accessory. SA™ is a geometric umbrella that focuses on improved efficiency, as well as aesthetics and form.
They stripped away the traditional wire structure that typical umbrellas come with, and use planar tension to create its geometric form, much like origami.
Inner and outer canopies expand and compress at the same time as the umbrella opens and closes, making it much lighter that an umbrella that uses the metal skeleton.
Made of flexible material, it bounces back into shape when not in tension so it stands up to high winds.
Embedded magnets keep the canopy securely closed until you’re ready to use it.
The handle holds an internal, spring-loaded mechanism that opens the umbrella automatically by rotating the handle at the bottom. To close it, you pull the handle, kind of like a bike pump.
