Our Story
Made for the Extraordinary
Combining superior engineering with beautiful design.
We have evolved a very traditional product by combining superior engineering with beautiful design, giving us the BLUNT Umbrella.
With a unique patented and trademarked Blunt™ shape, the BLUNT umbrella is the only umbrella on the market with a fully tensioned canopy for unparalleled performance. Ultimately, we have taken an everyday object of frustration and turned it into an unforgettable experience.
We created products that not only stand by the test of time, and are high quality, but have that unique style and design. Envisioned in London, founded in Warkworth, designed in Auckland, available to the world.
We take ordinary products and turn them into extraordinary experiences, starting with the umbrella.
Meet the Founder
Greig Brebner
"I wanted to create something that would make people’s lives better. Something that would stand the test of time, and as any inventors have done in the past, find the answer to a puzzle."
"My greatest inspiration when I was a child was growing up in Dad’s shed and watching him create amazing things from basic materials. I remember how excited I was when I saw an inventor that had created something meaningful, that could go out to the world in scale and would help people in some way.
When I moved to London for my OE in 1999, I was in a stage in life where I was thinking ‘what’s next?’ I remember walking down Regent St in London on a busy, rainy day, dodging umbrellas, and noticing how poor they were. Here was a product that had been around for over 150 years and hadn’t fundamentally evolved since inception. It wasn’t delivering the experience that I saw in my head that it could. I became obsessed to an unhealthy level with imagining this perfect umbrella.
I built it from scratch – thinking the less influenced I was by the under performing existing product, the better. After 18 months of failed radical prototyping I came to the realization that a successful solution needed to respect the incumbent. That’s when I started to make head way. And I didn’t stop until I got it. When all the problems were resolved with the same design solution, I knew I had something special. Now I just had to convince the rest of the world!"
"I wanted to create something that would make people’s lives better. Something that would stand the test of time, and as any inventors have done in the past, find the answer to a puzzle."
Built to last
Resisting the throw-away is part of our fabric and this is reflected in everything we do, from our umbrellas to our packaging. BLUNT Umbrellas are built for life.
Tested to extremes
Our aerodynamic canopy will keep you protected, as BLUNT Umbrellas have been wind tunnel tested to a Category 1 Hurricane (115km/h)*
Made for innovation
The patented BLUNT tips open like miniature umbrellas within pockets at the canopy edge performing multiple purposes giving the BLUNT umbrella it’s superior performance.
*Measured and evaluated by professionals (WSP) in the southern hemisphere's most powerful wind tunnel (1.1MW). Tested to the point of destruction, at a fixed angle with a mechanical arm on Jan 25th 2021.
Collaborations
We partner with incredible artists and brands across the globe to breath some extraordinary creative into the umbrella market. The BLUNT canopy offers a totally new canvas for visual story telling and artistic expression. Where functionality meets style and design, a limited edition BLUNT Umbrella makes you feel at your best when the weather is at its worst.