Parashell: The Bio-mimicry of an Umbrella

30 Jun 2008 Category: Arts & Crafts, Fashion, Products

Parashell: The Bio-mimicry of an Umbrella

Humans, not just molluscs, feel at home under a shell. Why not under a shell-shaped parasol named Magic Girl! Above, in royal purple (left) and western rose (right) by Parashell from Saitama. © Parashell

Ah, tsuyu, rainy season, is upon us. Our flimsy umbrella succumbed to the rain this morning, a reminder of how much better it feels to face this weather with a sturdy one! Especially in Japan with a huge umbrella culture! Naturally, umbrellas are all about portable shelter. However, Parashell umbrellas and parasols by Canadia-born, Tokyo-based John Di Cesare of Di Cesare Designs Inc. have the shapes and forms of sea shells — or garden vegetables! It all began when he moved to Japan and taught himself how to make a proper umbrella out of abandoned ones — and came up with further nature-inspired shapes. What a beautiful way to keep the Japanese umbrella-making tradition going! PingMag wanted to find out more about the bio-mimicry of an umbrella and went to John’s office in Saitama for a chat.

Written by Andres Zuleta-David

Unique parasols in western rose, astra gold, sepia or apple green! And all the Magic Girl parasols have a protective UV coat. © Parashell

First, was the idea for your Parashell brand an epiphany?

Back in Canada, it started with a little fanciful sketch based on what I thought would be a good umbrella. I was playing with some seashells on the beach, and brought them home in the hope of using them in a sculpture. I was thinking about how shells are used as shelter for lots of animals… but it never developed. I kept the shells in my studio, so sometimes when I was working on other things I would rest my eyes on them.


The Primavera parasol, here with a romantic flower pattern. © Parashell

The delicate Primavera in white. © Parashell

Who could resist these laces? © Parashell

What happened to the sketch?

Nothing came of it for a long time. I tried to make prototypes but none were successful until I came to Japan. Part of it was maybe the lack of an umbrella culture in Canada. People don’t use umbrellas so much,* we just drive everywhere*. Or you put a newspaper over your head or wear a raincoat. Anyway, I came to Japan still with the umbrella idea in my head. I thought I’d be here for short time, but I kept on drawing, and I made a couple of breakthroughs that brought me closer.

Illustrations of early prototypes from various angles, with measurements written in pen. It took many generations of prototypes before the Parashell finally came to life. © Parashell

What sort of breakthroughs?

Before, I was looking at umbrellas and parasols without thinking of the technical requirements. The turning point was when it ceased being just a sketch and became a technical drawing.
However, the biggest thing that happened was meeting this 73-year-old umbrella maker in Ome, near Tokyo. I called him up and was like, Can I visit you? He was surprised, since nobody cares about umbrellas and he was on verge of retirement, but he said sure. Seeing his studio, these handmade hinges of bamboo… it was incredible! I realised I didn’t need an outside prototyping company. He did everything by hand with these really rudimentary tools, but he could use them with the utmost precision. At that point I’d never made a production model.
[Have a look also at our umbrella special over at MAKE.]

This small Parashell maquette was made to illustrate the form of the concept. © Parashell

Sounds amazing! How did you teach yourself to build them?

I used to live at a train station that was at the end of the line. And some of these end-of-the-line stations have boxes of forgotten umbrellas. Most JR stations, for example, have a lost and found. But my station just had this box. So I’d grab weird umbrellas, broken ones, and take them home. I’d strip the parts, recycle parts… and this went on for several months. I had every size, all kinds of shafts. And I got some pliers from the ¥100 shop, and every night after work I’d come home and work on them. I used fishing wire and spandex to reassemble them. From recycling old and broken umbrellas I knew which parts I needed.

Elaborate prototype frames. Imagine making these at home after work… © Parashell

The goal of this shiny prototype was to create an undulating canopy. It later became the Rhythm and Grande umbrellas. © Parashell

That’s totally DIY, we’d love to see those! How did you get from there to a production model?

One of the keys was meeting my partner, John Davis, who’s a lawyer and handles a lot of the important business. And then, of course, initiating contact with the company I now work with, who connected us with the Kyoto craftsmen who make our products. I realised when I went to buy an umbrella one day, that all the names and numbers of the umbrella makers were on the tags, so I started recognising who the best makers were.

Many hours were spent measuring and sculpting this angled hinge, which was once thought crucial but later abandoned in favour of a simpler standard hinge. © Parashell

We never notice.

After a little market research, I finally made contact with a company I liked. Nowadays, around ninety percent of the umbrellas in Japan are made in China, but a few — especially high-end ones — are still made by craftspeople in Japan.

Kabochas everywhere! The Kabocha Pixie with its veggie-shaped handle! © Parashell

An up-close look at the black, pumpkin-shaped handle. © Parashell

Sad to hear that. However, here you are trying to revive this tradition. So, what did these traditional craftsmen think when they first saw your Parashell prototypes?

In Japan, everybody and his uncle has an idea for a weird-shaped umbrella. Seriously, if you go to the patent office you see. So I think for them, they were just like, “Here we go, another guy with a weird umbrella idea.”

The manly Grande umbrellas feature a solid oak handle and a spacious canopy. © Parashell

Ha ha! We guess few people are aware of that cliché.

It’s true. But besides that, I think nobody anticipated this one selling. Actually, nobody thought it could be made — up until I met the umbrella maker. The first thing he said was, “Did you make this?” And I said yeah, and he kind of bowed. He told me, “For this to become an item is really difficult.” A regular umbrella is easier since it’s symmetrical. But with this everything is shifted and warped, skewed. Things become shorter and longer, things become fixed at different places. At the start it was all just trial and error: make it, take it apart, start over.

The pixie style Kabocha, a pumpkin-motif parasol, in its natural environment. ‘Kabocha’ means ‘pumpkin’ in Japanese: form follows function. © Parashell

Sounds like a long process. But it finally worked out with them!

Yes, I work with mainly two, and one who is the handle specialist. They’re hard to make, and I was definitely lucky to develop a good relationship with these guys. At first, we passed like ten to twelve prototypes and production models back and forth, adjusting measurements. A one-millimetre difference on a rib meant the whole didn’t work. But they loved it! They’ve taken on the challenge and once you decide what the specifications are it’s not so bad. Still, I don’t want to stress them too much. You can make ten regular umbrellas in the time you make one Parashell.


Elegant sanctuary from the sun needed? Parashell Frill, here we come!© Parashell

Since it’s quite a special shape. Do most of your ideas for these come from nature?

You just end up realizing that if you stay within an order of major shapes, or even try to look for certain patterns, that you kind of head towards a certain natural form, or a simple form, or a form that hits people on a very primal sort of level.

That’s why Parashell succeeded where so many other zany umbrella ideas have failed?

Maybe because it’s a shell; it’s not just a shift in shape or a smaller item. It kind of takes people’s imagination. When you open one up in front of someone there’s usually laughter, a bit of wide-eyed amazement. Some don’t like it though.

The Rhythm umbrella is said to add some bounce to your step. And its lizard-texture patent leather handle is fun, too. © Parashell

Maybe because people enjoy being under a shell…

That’s what I think, it’s natural. One day we’ll make a beach parasol model. For now, we’re working on something special for next spring; kind of a Japanese spring-themed parasol for hanami season.

More than stylish molusks! Magic Girl variations. © Parashell

We so want a pink parasol! Thank you, John, for your lovely Parashell umbrellas! Now, ladies, get your own little ruffled parasol, also available over at Cibone, at the National Art Centre Tokyo and some other places.

30 Comments

  1. wow. nica to have one. lovely umbrella. ella ella.. e.. e..

    Posted by: erick on June 30th, 2008 at 7:07 pm

  2. These umbrellas are beautiful, but I don’t have a good image of the Japanese “umbrella culture”. Many people are rude while walking with their umbrellas, and people will even ride their bicycles with them – which is forbidden and most important quite dangerous.

    Posted by: ale/pepino on June 30th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

  3. Love it!!!1 Want to see more of this kind of adapted design…. beautiful, thank you for showing this….

    Posted by: Anna on June 30th, 2008 at 11:59 pm

  4. [...] PingMag gets the back story on Tokyo-based Canadian expat John Di Cesare’s Parashell umbrellas & parasols. Working with a 73 year old umbrella maker in Ome, near Tokyo, he prototyped an idea he had back in Canada based on the shapes and forms of sea shells. In Japan, everybody and his uncle has an idea for a weird-shaped umbrella. Seriously, if you go to the patent office you see. So I think for them, they were just like, “Here we go, another guy with a weird umbrella idea.” [...]

    Posted by: Interview with Parashell Umbrella Designer John Di Cesare - taccato! trend tracker, cool hunting, new business ideas on July 1st, 2008 at 2:12 am

  5. [...] the full interview with the designer at [PingMag] Bookmark It More related posts: Japanese Maids are Coming to the [...]

    Posted by: Shell Shaped Umbrellas | Japanite! on July 1st, 2008 at 2:44 am

  6. Great article about something so unxpected as umbrellas………fun and entertaining, and BTW, I love these umbrellas!

    Posted by: Carmi on July 1st, 2008 at 9:49 am

  7. I could flye a pink frilly parashell

    Posted by: kagema on July 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am

  8. the shell shaped ones would probably leave you wet at the back… not to mention if you were carrying things… beautiful ideas though

    Posted by: Ling on July 1st, 2008 at 1:53 pm

  9. love it! except I lose umbrellas multiple times a winter..

    Posted by: web design on July 1st, 2008 at 3:25 pm

  10. such a beautiful article
    perfect for rainy days

    Posted by: Paavani on July 1st, 2008 at 3:29 pm

  11. [...] wind got your umbrella in a twist? Ditch the old one and take a lesson from the Japanese, where a Parashell umbrella is a must-have accessory. These chic shell-inspired umbrellas and parasols will keep us looking [...]

    Posted by: Fashion Week Daily - Chic Report » You Can Stand Under this Umbrella..ella..ella.. on July 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 am

  12. [...] wind got your umbrella in a twist? Ditch the old one and take a lesson from the Japanese, where a Parashell umbrella is a must-have accessory. These chic shell-inspired umbrellas and parasols will keep us looking [...]

    Posted by: Fashion Week Daily - Chic Report » You Can Stand Under this Umbrella..ella..ella.. on July 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 am

  13. He, an umbrella to give to my first girlfriend… check..

    Posted by: skytradeinc on July 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm

  14. Hey, an umbrella to give to my first girlfriend… check..

    Posted by: skytradeinc on July 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm

  15. [...] structures versus their function. How excited was I, then, to chance upon this article in Pingmag raving about an umbrella fashioned in the shape of a seashell. The mind boggles and the mouth [...]

    Posted by: Umbrella, ella ella EH! « on July 3rd, 2008 at 4:38 am

  16. ahh, brilliant!

    Posted by: cn on July 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 am

  17. i want one of the white ones with ruffles. jesus. so coooooooooool

    Posted by: amanda on July 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm

  18. [...] has a nice post on the lovely design of these delicate and functional Parashell umbrellas and parasols by [...]

    Posted by: Parashell umbrellas and parasols | M.I.S.S. CREW BLOG on July 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm

  19. whoever wrote this is absolutely brilliant

    Posted by: amber on July 4th, 2008 at 12:01 am

  20. WOWoooooo very Nice!! SO Beautifully structured. Every has its own beauty.

    Posted by: Sum on July 4th, 2008 at 11:04 pm

  21. [...] thanks to RM for emailing me this link to an interview with the maker of these gorgeous shell parasols and umbrellas. His is an [...]

    Posted by: Shellabrella « Robinson on July 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm

  22. Wonderful interview : )
    I have always had the dream of meeting those grand-masters of true craftsmanship in Japan. And you have truly made a beautiful object John. Word up.

    Posted by: sigrid astrup on July 10th, 2008 at 10:01 pm

  23. It looks like the Senz Umbrella…

    Posted by: Peter on July 11th, 2008 at 2:07 am

  24. [...] via pingmag [...]

    Posted by: Chain Change » Blog Archive » Parashell: The Bio-mimicry of an Umbrella on July 11th, 2008 at 3:38 am

  25. Such an inspiring story! Love the umbrellas!!!

    Posted by: MollaSpace on July 12th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

  26. Actually, the Senz looks like the Parashell. The Parashell came out 2 years before the Senz.

    Posted by: Larry on July 15th, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  27. [...] [via] 创意家居 ｜  « 悬壁抽屉 Home  [...]

    Posted by: 风情小伞——浓郁小资味 - 蘑菇网::创意家居 - 分享最为流行的创意家居 分享前卫的生活方式 on July 23rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm

  28. [...] How cute are these umbrellas? [...]

    Posted by: Umbrellas or Parasols « Sarah and Friends on August 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm

  29. [...] English Version [...]

    Posted by: Parashell: The Bio-mimicry of an Umbrella « ____—**** My BooK is Open ****—____ __–** By Hoang Van Bizet Dan **–__ on September 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm

  30. How can i have this beautiful umbrella ?

    Posted by: Eli on January 26th, 2009 at 6:16 am

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