Swaine, Collapsible Umbrella with Whangee Handle

[Acquire from Swaine]

John Steed's umbrella, folded to fit a briefcase.

Handmade in England · Whangee bamboo handle · Navy canopy

Why it's here

The folding umbrella is usually something bought in a hurry and lost within the month. Brigg, founded in 1836 and now part of Swaine, is the oldest umbrella maker in Britain, and it builds a folding one that deserves to be kept. The handle is whangee, the knuckled bamboo that Steed carried in The Avengers, and it tells anyone who knows umbrellas exactly where this came from.

The object

Whangee is cut from the root of a bamboo and bent by hand, so every handle has its own pattern of joints. The canopy is cut and sewn in England in dark navy, on a two-part stainless steel shaft that collapses to bag length.

Living with it

It lives in a briefcase or a coat pocket for the days that turn. Open it to dry before you put it away, and the frame will outlast several canopies, which Swaine can replace.

Origin: Handmade in England
Handle: Whangee bamboo root
Canopy: Dark navy
Shaft: Two-part stainless steel

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