Royal College of Art graduate Ayca Dundar has redesigned the umbrella, paring it back to a pop-up canopy with six parts so it can recover from being blown inside out (+ movie).
Driven by the number of broken umbrellas she saw littering London's streets on a rainy day, Dundar set about finding a better solution.
She dissected a number of the broken umbrellas and decided that the problem lay in their overly intricate mechanisms.
"Their complex structure makes them fragile and non-repairable," she said. "They are so rigid that they turn inside out and break during strong winds."
The Drop umbrella has a supple structure, so it flexes during strong wind and comes back to its original position afterwards.
Its organic form consists of only six repairable parts that depend on material properties rather than hinges and joints. It closes into a compact flat disk for ease of transport.
The cover is made from waterproof fabric stretched over two plastic-coated spring steel strips. The aluminium pole is attached to a 3D-printed plastic handle.
Its comparatively simple design makes its UK-based manufacture more cost effective than traditional umbrella designs, which are commonly made from parts produced in the Far East.
Drop was Ayca Dundar's final project for her MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art and is on display at the institution's Kensington Gore campus in London until 29 June.
Show RCA 2014 also features leather clothes hooks that make wooden surfaces look like they're infested with fungi and a loom that can weave in three dimensions. See more projects from Show RCA 2014 »