Combining performance with style, New Zealand made umbrella brand Blunt is redefining the way we use and appreciate the trusted rain shield.
Created by Greig Brebner after encountering the harsh English rain, the Blunt umbrella was designed not only to tackle changing weather conditions but to bring about a new elegance to what is typically considered just a shelter device.
After launching the first set of Blunt umbrellas, the brand has now released a well thought out update to their original models. The Re-Designed launch focuses on repairability rather than replacement while ensuring customer comfort and sustainable resourcing.
“At Blunt we believe that in order for an organisation to make a genuine difference they need to focus their always limited resources on a specific area of impact where it can be most sustainable over time,” says founder Greig Brebner.
“With this in mind, our primary driving force at Blunt is to make our products with as much potential lifespan built into them as we can manage.”
Blunt’s latest modular build concept allows the products to be easily repaired, and eventually, with no tools required. The concept works towards preventing the disposal of an umbrella that is generally still 95 percent in working condition. The repairability feature also allows specific components to be upgraded so that users can revamp their umbrellas to match their changing aesthetic.
“The beauty of this approach is that the environment naturally also benefits due to technical resources being utilised for a much longer period of time and because it commercially stacks up, the whole movement enjoys it’s own momentum so it can improve over time. An evolutionary stable system.”
Blunt’s 2020 umbrella range also includes new square carton packaging to replace the traditional tube. Brebner says the change of packaging is due to multiple environmental reasons.
The new packaging is made from sustainably sourced cardboard material and natural inks which are easier to dispose of than bulky tubes that can’t be crushed. A secure locking cap system is also a part of Blunt’s packaging to prevent the heavier umbrellas from falling out when in transit. The caps are made from recycled plastics which double as a phone holder when recycled or reused.
“Our primary driving force at Blunt is to make our products with as much potential lifespan built into them as we can manage.”
Blunt’s Re-Designed umbrellas are a complete refresh of the originals with a reanalysis of purpose and market placement, and in some cases, re-named models.
Read more about Blunt’s most recent collaborations with artists Flox and fortyonehundred, and visit their website here.
