Nendo’s latest umbrella hides
a cover in its handle

Not content with releasing one umbrella this month, Japanese studio Nendo has created a lightweight folding umbrella with a carbon-fibre frame and a cover tucked into its handle.

Nendo designed the umbrella as part of its by|n collection for Japanese department store Seibu, for which the Tokyo studio also created retail concessions to display its vast array of products.

Following the Stay-brella, which stands up unassisted on a two-pronged handle, the Cover-brella is a collapsible design with a compartment for storing a cover hidden in the plastic cap that forms its handle.

Two parts pop open so the cover can be unfurled over the folded canopy, protecting the surface and preventing collected water from affecting other items.

“Umbrella covers are notoriously easy to lose, but our design utilises the inside of the handle, ordinarily ‘dead space’, to integrate the cover and umbrella,” said the studio.

The cover tucks back into the handle when no longer needed.

The design also features a carbon-fibre frame, reducing its weight to 108 grams. A coating across the fabric is added to reduce UV rays penetrating the canopy by up to 90 per cent.

The Cover-brella comes in eight bright colours and is available to buy exclusively from Japan’s Seibu department stores.

Nendo’s by|n collection also includes minimal wire-net baskets and pendant light shades moulded from paper. The studio, led by designer Oki Sato, has had a prolific year – designing everything from shoes to ice cream cakes.

See a round-up of Nendo’s best designs from the past 12 months.

Photography is by Akihiro Yoshida.

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