The ultimate premium plastic umbrella, developed by White Rose, the company that created the world’s first plastic umbrella, to realize a more transparent, tough, and beautiful plastic umbrella.
• The umbrella is made from a transparent film so it won't obstruct your view. It can be safely used while you walk.
• The umbrella features a unique anti-turnover construction thanks to its patented "water and wind dispersal" technology that prevents the rain from coming inside the umbrella while allowing the wind that comes inside to escape.
• An automatic umbrella, featuring 8 ribs, that can be opened with a single hand.
• Natural camellia wood is used for the handle and the ferrule to create a luxurious touch.
The natural wood will fit comfortably in your hand as you keep on using it for five or ten years.
Diameter when Opened: approx. 103cm/Total Length: approx. 90cm/Weight: approx. 560g
Materials: [Umbrella] Polyolefin multilayer film/[Bias] Polyester 100%
It comes with a storage bag.
WHITE ROSE
https://www.whiterose.jp/english_index.html
The ultimate plastic umbrella conveys the culture of Japan: "Fix it, and use with care"
The plastic umbrella, available everywhere in town and ever-reliable in case of sudden rainstorms, was actually born in Japan. The world pioneer in developing this product was White Rose, which has a store in Asakusa.
Its history, which began in Japan’s Edo period, has been one of continuous challenges. The company was founded in 1721, and by the fifth-generation proprietor’s time, it had become a rain gear merchant holding the shogunate's warrant, supplying complete sets of rain gear for Daimyo-gyoretsu, or the procession of a feudal lord. From the seventh-generation proprietor onwards, the business expanded into a full-fledged wholesaler of Japanese umbrellas. After World War II, cotton umbrellas became the mainstream, but their color faded when wet, so the ninth-generation proprietor invented a plastic umbrella cover, which was a huge hit. However, when nylon umbrellas, which were highly waterproof and colorfast, appeared on the market, the need for such covers disappeared. But the ninth-generation proprietor came up with the idea of affixing vinyl plastic, a completely waterproof material, directly onto the umbrella’s ribs. The revolutionary plastic umbrella, which took five years to develop, was met with strong opposition from the existing umbrella industry, and sales were sluggish at first. The turning point came during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. This vinyl plastic umbrella caught the eye of a buyer who came to Japan from the U.S. to watch the Games, and its popularity then spread worldwide.
This is how the plastic umbrella became so popular. As inexpensive mass-produced products became more available, the image of plastic umbrellas as disposable became stronger, but White Rose umbrellas are a product that truly stands apart from these. For example, the Katel MI7, created for use by stylish, fashionable men, uses white birch for the central pole and natural camellia wood for the handle. The ribs are made of a lightweight, strong fiberglass, and the cover is made of a special water-repellent film that resists sticking even when wet. The upper part of each rib contains an opening called a "check valve" that allows wind to escape from inside, so there is no need to worry about the umbrella being turned inside out by strong winds.
Tsukasa Sudo, the 10th generation proprietor of White Rose, hopes that these durable, beautiful, transparent plastic umbrellas offering great visibility will not be considered disposable, but rather used for a long time.
"All parts of our products are repairable. In this ecologically-oriented era, we hope to promote the culture of 'repairing and caring for' the umbrellas that we become attached to."
