Designed as a Whole: The Sapor Iconic in Detail
An umbrella is often considered only when it is open. Yet a folding umbrella appears in many different states: closed in the hand, stored in its case, moving through the process of opening and closing, and finally extended in the rain.
The canopy alone does not determine how we experience it. The way the handle sits in the hand, the movement of the mechanism, the structure of the frame and the appearance of the closed umbrella are all part of its use and design.
With the Sapor Iconic, we therefore did not consider these elements in isolation. It was designed as a complete object.
It Began with the Handle
The Iconic was the starting point of our collection. Its most characteristic element is its large, column-shaped handle.
Many folding umbrellas end in a handle designed to be as small as possible. On the Iconic, this part of the umbrella was given a presence of its own. Its elongated form and ribbed surface shape the silhouette of the closed umbrella and provide the hand with a clearly defined surface.
The button for the automatic open-and-close mechanism is integrated into the same form. The handle is not an ornamental detail added at the end. It brings together design, mechanism and use.
Ten Ribs, Ten Narrow Panels
The frame of the Iconic consists of ten fibreglass ribs. They divide the canopy into ten narrow panels and create its finely structured curve.
This construction shapes the umbrella on several levels. Seen from below, the ribs form a regular structure. From the outside, the narrow fabric panels define the form of the open canopy. Together, they give the Iconic both its stability and its characteristic silhouette.
Construction and design cannot be separated here. The frame does not simply perform a technical task. It directly determines how the umbrella looks.
Movement Is Part of the Design
A folding umbrella is not a static object. It is removed from its case, opened, carried, closed and stored again.
On the Iconic, the automatic mechanism opens and closes the canopy at the press of a button. This short movement is one of the moments in which the umbrella is experienced most directly. Mechanism, handle and frame act together.
For us, the movement of an object is therefore part of its design. The open form matters, but so does the way the object arrives there and returns again.
Four Colours, Considered Throughout
The Iconic is available in black, green, blue and red. Within each colourway, handle, cotton strap and canopy are carefully matched.
What appears simple is demanding to achieve. The three components are made from different materials and respond differently to colour and light. They must nevertheless be coordinated so that the umbrella is perceived as one coherent object.
This continuous use of colour is particularly important when the Iconic is closed. Handle, strap and folded canopy do not appear as separate elements, but form one quiet and clearly recognisable shape.
The Case Is Part of the Object
The design of the Iconic does not end with the canopy. Each model comes with a lined zipped case. It follows the form of the closed umbrella and becomes a visible part of how the object is carried and used.
The colour-matched gift box follows the same idea. A carefully designed object should not only be considered when it is open. The way it is stored, carried and presented also shapes how it is experienced.
A Folding Umbrella with a Character of Its Own
Folding umbrellas are often designed to attract as little attention as possible. The Iconic remains compact, but it does not try to become visually anonymous.
Its column-shaped handle, ten-rib frame, finely structured canopy and continuous use of colour give it a form that remains recognisable both open and closed.
This reflects a central idea behind Sapor: even a familiar everyday object can possess a character of its own when construction, material, design and use are considered as a whole.
Embrace the rain.
