Designed Inside and Out: The Double-Layered Canopy of the Sapor Distinct

The exterior is usually the first part of an umbrella to be noticed. It meets the rain, the street and the surrounding environment. Beneath an open umbrella, however, a second perspective emerges: the inside of the canopy, visible to the person moving below it.

Usually, the two sides are simply the front and back of the same layer of fabric. With the Sapor Distinct, we deliberately separate them in most designs.

One Canopy, Two Perspectives

An open umbrella possesses an unusual spatial quality. Viewed from the outside, it appears as a self-contained form within its surroundings. From within, it creates a personal, clearly defined space.

These two perspectives place different demands on the design. The exterior can establish a clear presence in the cityscape, while the interior can be calmer, lighter or unexpectedly coloured.

With two separate layers of fabric, the design of one side no longer has to follow directly from the other. Each surface can be developed independently before both are brought together in a single canopy.

Colour Revealed Only When Opened

Blue/Red has a completely dark blue exterior. When closed, the umbrella therefore appears restrained. The red interior is revealed only when it is opened.

Brown/Beige follows the same principle in a quieter palette. Dark brown defines the exterior, while the light interior changes the space beneath the canopy.

The second colour is not an added decorative detail. It belongs to a state of the product that only emerges through use. The transition between closed and open thus becomes part of the design itself.

Pattern Outside, Calm Within

The double-layered construction allows more than different colour combinations. Designs such as Black Drop combine a graphic exterior with a completely monochrome interior.

The pattern extends across all eight panels of the canopy. Seams, transitions and repetitions are not simply accepted afterwards, but considered from the beginning of the design process. Only when the individual fabric panels are sewn together does the complete composition emerge.

Beneath the umbrella, the effect remains calm. The black interior creates distance from the exterior pattern and prevents the two perspectives from competing with one another.

What the Second Layer Changes

The double construction is not only visible. It also changes the materiality of the canopy.

Two layers of fabric have more volume and weight than a single layer. The double-layered Distinct therefore weighs 585 grams, while the deliberately single-layered Color Mix weighs 509 grams. The additional layer is not an invisible technical addition, but a perceptible part of the product.

It also changes the sound of rain. Droplets do not strike a single, immediately tensioned surface. Beneath the umbrella, this creates a softer, more muted impression.

The damper integrated into the frame serves a different purpose: it gives the automatic opening a substantial, controlled sound. Fabric, mechanism and movement together shape the way the umbrella is perceived.

The Construction Remains in the Background

The canopy is supported by eight reinforced fibreglass ribs and a steel shaft. The rounded handle is crafted from ironwood, with colour and grain varying slightly from one example to another.

These elements are not intended to appear separate from one another. The handle, the movement of the automatic-opening mechanism, the frame, the two fabric surfaces and the adjustable case all belong to the same object.

The Distinct makes particularly visible that design does not end with the exterior surface. It continues on the inside, influences the sound and reveals itself in the moment the umbrella is opened.

Two surfaces, conceived independently and brought together in a single canopy.

Embrace the rain.