Rain or shine, the joy of looking up at your umbrella. An original sun-and-rain folding umbrella made together with an umbrella craftsman.

As the warm sunshine starts to feel pleasant, UV protection becomes something to think about too. It's nice to be able to choose from a variety of items—hats, stoles, parasols—depending on where you're headed that day.

This time, we're introducing an original ZUTTO sun-and-rain umbrella. The long rain umbrella we already sell has become a standard item, made continuously for over two years, but customers asked us, "Please make a folding version too"—and now, at last, this umbrella has arrived.

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An umbrella that's a joy to own, a pleasure to look up at

The first thing we decided when making this umbrella was the fabric. Choosing only from fabrics already made for umbrellas would have limited our options, so this time we chose from unprocessed cotton fabrics and then had them treated for waterproofing and UV protection.

That approach let us pick out just the right fabric from an enormous range of choices.

Since this is a sun-and-rain umbrella you can carry on both sunny and rainy days, some people might want "a lively pattern that matches the bright mood of a sunny day," while others might prefer "a slightly chic color that's easy to match with their clothes." So this time, we decided to offer both solid-color and patterned umbrellas.

What the chosen fabrics have in common is a desire to create "an umbrella you'd be happy to own." No matter how practical it is for blocking sunlight or keeping off the rain, carrying and using an umbrella can still feel like a bit of a chore. But if you're going to carry one anyway, wouldn't it be nice to have one that makes you happy when you look up at it from underneath, or one that catches your eye reflected in a shop window and makes you think, "that's lovely"?

Solid but never plain—easy-to-carry chambray in 3 colors

Chambray is a fabric woven with colored thread for the warp and white thread for the weft, so the threads appear evenly across the surface, creating a frost-like effect—white flecks scattered here and there like frost. Though solid and simple, the visible white threads give it a subtle character.

We chose three colors: red, gray, and navy.

Navy chambray has a refreshing coolness that's perfect for summer.

Gray chambray is an elegant, mature, feminine color.

Red chambray combines brightness with a sense of calm.

The chambray fabric we chose is also suitable for making shirts and blouses. It uses top-grade Giza cotton grown in the Nile River basin, giving it a silk-like elegant sheen and a smooth texture.

A perfect match for sunshine—the orange-green check

You might admire umbrellas with bold colors and patterns that become the centerpiece of an outfit, yet still feel a bit hesitant to try one. But once you actually pick it up, this large block check pattern turns out to be surprisingly easy to carry.

Opening this umbrella instantly lifts your mood, and looking up from underneath gives you a burst of energy. That's the kind of wonderful umbrella we ended up creating. Made from a tightly woven, high-density typewriter cloth, it has a crisp texture and vivid, beautiful color.

An umbrella made in an old Tokyo neighborhood

Just like our standard ZUTTO original rain umbrella, this folding umbrella is also made by a Japanese umbrella craftsman. It comes from a workshop founded in 1973 that specializes in made-to-order umbrellas. This workshop, which produces custom umbrellas for many apparel brands, continues making umbrellas with the hope of making them a more familiar and enjoyable part of everyday life.

This time as well, we met with the workshop to discuss and decide on the specifications for the umbrella. After looking over various parts and going back and forth—"maybe this, maybe not that"—we settled on the following key points.

1. A rib length of 50cm, large enough to fully cover your body

2. A handle that's easy to grip firmly, with the tip tucked in on the inside

3. A drawstring-style pouch that's easy to slip the umbrella into even when wet from rain

4. A longer strap that lets you bundle the fabric without fully folding it

Let me explain each of these in turn.

1. A rib length of 50cm, large enough to fully cover your body

Many parasols and folding umbrellas have short ribs, but we chose a rib length of 50cm—large enough to keep your whole body properly covered, whether it's sunny or raining. The diameter when open is about 87cm.

To make the most of this size and the beautifully round shape it takes when open, we chose a two-stage design that opens with a satisfying click-click motion.

2. A handle that's easy to grip firmly, with the tip tucked in on the inside

We'd always noticed that folding umbrella handles are often too compact, making them feel unsteady to hold. When it's windy, a small handle just doesn't give you enough control. So we chose a rattan handle with a bit more length and thickness to it.

3. A drawstring-style pouch that's easy to slip the umbrella into even when wet from rain

The slim pouch made for folding umbrellas is fine when dry, but the trouble is that it suddenly becomes hard to fit the umbrella in once it's wet. So we chose a drawstring-style pouch with a wide opening, making it easy to slip the umbrella in quickly even when you're in a hurry. When carrying it without putting it in a bag, you can conveniently hold it by the cord.

4. A longer strap that lets you gather the fabric together without folding it down

When you step indoors while out and about, it can be a bother to shorten your folding umbrella each time. So we had the strap made a little longer than usual, allowing you to gather the umbrella together even while it's fully extended. The fabric ends up turned inside out, but you can still bundle it into a cane-like shape and carry it around with the ribs left open.

The clasp, with its antique-style charm, is also lovely.

Today, inexpensive vinyl umbrellas continue to increase in number, and the number of domestic craftsmen who hand-make umbrellas is dwindling year by year. Even so, this long-established umbrella maker, in business for over 70 years, keeps up its meticulous umbrella-making, hoping that people will choose an umbrella the way they'd coordinate an outfit or redecorate a room.

With the skill and dedication of Japanese craftsmen who possess outstanding umbrella-making techniques, each umbrella is carefully finished in the hope that it will be cherished and used with care, adding a touch of color to everyday life. And so that customers can enjoy using them for a long time, the maker also provides thorough after-sales care for any issues or breakdowns that arise with use. Since umbrellas are an item people tend to put off replacing, a carefully made, everyday umbrella like this would also make a wonderful gift.