Swaine Adeney Brigg: Classic Handmade Umbrellas
There comes a time in every man's life when he wants a better umbrella.
A time when buying cheap, disposable umbrellas that deform and break at the slightest gust of wind just doesn't cut it anymore. A time when quality, style, and durability are rediscovered. Consequently, I have started looking for alternatives. But I am not merely looking for something to keep me dry when the next thunderstorm arrives.
I am on the quest for a lifelong companion.
An umbrella that is worth caring for. An umbrella that is worth repairing when it breaks. If it breaks. An umbrella that is not just an umbrella but a work of art. And a good investment. An umbrella that survives three marriages, two hostile takeovers, and a strength eight typhoon. In short: a gentleman's umbrella.
The Brigg Umbrella seems to be exactly what I am looking for.
Brigg Umbrella Co. was established in London in 1836, later changing its name to Brigg & Son. In 1943, Brigg & Son joined Swaine Adeney, a manufacturer of handcrafted leather goods founded in 1750, and the company became Swaine Adeney Brigg.
The umbrellas are still handmade in England:
In the small English village of Great Chesterford, Essex, Brigg converted an old schoolhouse into the firm's manufacturing plant, which is still in use today. To walk through those doors is like being transported back in time, when everything was done by hand. Craftsmen perform specialized tasks: bending the wooden handles, applying the lacquer to the shafts or cutting and sewing the fabric for the hood. While time alone does not confer greatness on a product, one suspects it is why Brigg has the confidence to offer the same guarantee one would expect from Rolls-Royce — that the umbrella will last a lifetime.
A premium umbrella is a work of architecture. It is the efficient combination of exotic woods, tempered steel, brass and nylon (or, in some cases, pure silk) used to perform a logical function: keeping rain off your head. If you look inside an opened Brigg umbrella, you see the ribs as an intricate latticework, perfectly stretched by tension, looking for all the world like the cables of a great suspension bridge. As with all good architecture, the completed product has a wonderful elegance born of simple design.
Handles are available in different types of wood or hand-stitched leather. Covers come in black, as well as a range of other colors and patterns. Prices start at around £70 / €100 / $120.
I am partial to the wooden handles, which have more charm and character than leather, and would find anything else than a black cover unthinkable. As for the price, it is not hard to find umbrellas for less. However, considering the accumulated cost of cheap umbrellas over the long-term, I would argue that the price tag of a Brigg is well justified.
A few pre-purchase reinforcement links follow below:
19 Comments (skip to form)
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Blair Millen
Comment on October 18, 2004 at 9:07 pm
Lars,
Briggs looks like they offer some serious rain protection… could be a bit of a status symbol too! £300 or £400 for an umbrella is a lot though, so don't leave it on the train!
Imagine if you were forgetful with this brolly…
Lars
Comment on October 18, 2004 at 11:37 pm
Oh, they have even more expensive models. The one I am interested in is a mere £135, or about ten times more than I have ever paid for an umbrella. But then again, I have probably bought more than ten umbrellas in my life so far.
Thanks for the link! One would certainly hope not to leave a Brigg behind, but I am not so sure it wouldn't happen. I keep forgetting umbrellas and gloves in all kinds of obscure places. I once had enough and bought a pair of really expensive calf-skin gloves, thinking I couldn't possibly forget something so valuable. A week later I left them on a bus. So I am a bit concerned. Serious Rain Protection sounds like a great name for a high-tech umbrella company.
Joel
Comment on October 19, 2004 at 7:02 am
There's a certain delight in surrounding oneself with hand-made objects. Robert Graves once asked an interviewer whether he had noticed anything unusual about the room they were sitting in, Graves's study. When the interviewer couldn't come up with anything Graves pointed out that everything in the room was hand-made, even down to his pencils on the desk.
There is a fine umbrella shop in London: James Smith & Sons of Holborn.
www.james-smith.co.uk
Joel
Comment on October 19, 2004 at 5:47 pm
Given the recent discussion on Asterisk about internet advertising to which I contributed an almost lone dissenting voice:
Internet Advertising — Your Take
I have only just noticed that you have Google ads as well, and I couldn't help a wry smile on noting that your post on fine hand-made umbrellas is supported by ads for cheap and nasty umbrellas. Still, there would be a certain irony if you were making enough from these ads to be able to afford an umbrella costing several months wages in the lands where cheap and nasty umbrellas are made..
Lars
Comment on October 19, 2004 at 6:57 pm
Joel, thanks for bringing my attention to James Smith & Sons. I didn't find them when I googled for umbrella manufacturers. I love the photo of their shop interior. How pathetic online shopping appears in comparison! Definitely worth a visit the next time I am in London, whenever that will be.
Ah, yes the ads. I sneaked them in secretly, or so it would seem. I did plan to post about it, but I wasn't sure I'd keep them long enough to make it worth my while (more on this later).
The Asterisk thread has some thoughtful comments. Until recently, my view on Google's AdSense ads has basically been what Roger Johansson wrote:
Now that I have had them in place for a couple of weeks, I am beginning to question their relevance and the added value they offer. I can also see how there is a risk of a conflict of interest, or just an inappropriate clash of products, as you exemplify (although one ad did link to the very same online retailer I had mentioned in my post). I would certainly have preferred to have more control over what ads get published. But as a rule I don't mind if certain publishers make money from ads, as long as the ads don't interfere with or affect the content.
However, I disagree that all people who put up such ads are in it for the money. I am not. I know my site stats, and was able to make a fairly accurate estimate of how long it would take to receive the first check from Google even before I signed up. Now, I wouldn't mind cashing in a good amount from this every now and then, but I'd probably make more money looking for stray coins on the street (and definitely get more exercise). Instead, I signed up because I was curious to see what ads would be displayed, and how relevant they would be. As someone else mentioned in the Asterisk thread, signing up is really easy. This is no doubt one reason we see so many ads now: it could be that it is too easy.
But I could think of several things that more readily qualify as "one of the worst things that has happened to the web". Flash, for instance, is much, much worse in my opinion.
Still, now that my little experiment is over, I am thinking of using the space for something else. This was in fact my original plan. I am leaning towards making my own ads of the "handpicked and recommended" kind mentioned in another comment, or something completely different. We'll see.
Joel
Comment on October 19, 2004 at 7:43 pm
Oh yes, Flash. What a terrible malady that is. Today I went to two Flash sites recommended as having great design. Both I closed the window before they had finished downloading. I just can't be bothered waiting for something likely to look like the inside of a 70s spaceship. There is the odd exceptional Flash site of course, such as this brilliant project:
www.complexification.net/gallery/
Incidentally, did you know your site scrolls very stutteringly in Opera and Firefox? Only get that with your site, of those bother to look at. Been wondering whether there is a good reason for that.
Google ads seem to depend on region, so what you see isn't necessarily what someone else may see. Laughed at your comment about picking up stray coins, that rather puts it into perspective in terms of having some self-respect. How anyone can think permitting Google ads on their site is fitting for a "professional" I just don't know. But as an experiment, well it's always interesting to see what happens.
Lars
Comment on October 20, 2004 at 12:17 pm
Hmm, the complexification site wasn't made for a 56k dial-up connection. Too many images, albeit very interesting looking. Will try again later. But yes, good flash sites do exist. It's not an evil technology in itself, just a misused one.
Did I know my site scrolls stutteringly? Yes and no. Just the other day I noticed some stuttering when using the "smooth scrolling" or whatever it is called when you middle click and position your marker to automatically scroll a page. Scrolling the conventional way works fine though. Is this what you meant? I wonder if it could be the ads? I have also noticed some flickering, perhaps to do with the javascript and the rest of the ugly code and markup used to display the ads. Sigh…
A couple of related links: The revolution will be commercialized and Microsoft ad sarcasm (png screenshot).
Joel
Comment on October 20, 2004 at 4:54 pm
This is a good debate on the topic I thought:
Bloggers Ad Nauseum
I'd never read Rushkoff before, I quite agree with him.
Better whip those ads off soon, I sense a real divide opening up over the issue, want to make sure you're on the right side when the pitchforks come out and the villagers come marching down the street with flaming firebrands.
Scrolling problem: mainly when using a wheel-mouse, but also using scrollbars. As if the page is code-heavy or something. I think it was like it before you had Google ads. It appeared with the current design, the previous design didn't have this problem as I recall, leading me to think it was something about the way you'd done the page. Maybe just my machine. See if others have noticed it.
Lars
Comment on October 20, 2004 at 6:31 pm
I thought the same thing (I found the link in the comments to Jason Kottke's post). I particularly agree with what Scott wrote:
My experiment showed that I am not comfortable with the lack of control over which ads get displayed. It also showed, as I had assumed, that I can afford to be idealistic. And I certainly don't want a pitchfork up my rear, although I suspect your villagers would be easily outnumbered, if push came to shove. Or is this, like, an underground movement or something? Perhaps it will be once you finish off the manifesto? Either way, you may find that the ads now look a little different.
Scrolling: yes, you are right — it wasn't the ads. I have no idea what it could be, actually. As I recall, I didn't make that many markup changes when I redesigned… Well, thanks for letting me know anyway.
Joel
Comment on October 20, 2004 at 9:39 pm
Ha, very funny. Yes, mimic Google ads, a great idea! Wonder whether anyone will notice. Those with AdBlock will be the first to notice I suspect, as they suddenly take pause thinking they have a software failure. It could just catch on!
nicholas storey
Comment on November 8, 2004 at 7:14 pm
You once sold me an umbrella with the unbelievably good line: 'Rain sounds so much better on silk, sir.' This was in the days of the Piccadilly emporium; long before 'suits you, sir!'.
NJS
Ray K.
Comment on February 14, 2005 at 3:59 am
Lars:
After many years of contending with the insufferable disposable unbrella, I’ve decided to make an investment in a fine Brigg. I chosen the Prince of Wales model, which is a two piece malacca cane with a Sterling silver nose cap and a Sterling silver collar engraved with Brigg’s Royal Warrant. I’ve decided to shot the moon and order this piece with an English waterproofed silk canopy, as well have my name hand engraved on the collar.
After considerable research, the best price that I found was near or slightly over $1000; however, just today I stumbled on a site that offers this umbrella with above options for $680. What I’d like to know is whether you’ve any knowledge of this retailer and is this a good deal?
ClassicLuggage.com: GENTLEMEN’S UMBRELLA
Ray K.
Comment on February 14, 2005 at 4:02 am
I hit “Post” before I could thank you for your anticipated reply.
Lars
Comment on February 14, 2005 at 1:48 pm
Ray,
Thank you for sharing your plans. I don’t have any experience with the retailer you are referring to, or with any other retailer for that matter since I am yet to make my purchase. I am sorry.
It does seem like a good deal though. In fact, it almost seems like too good a deal to be true. I would be curious as to the reasons they are selling the umbrella at that price, since it is so much lower than anything else you have found. In my experience, these things rarely go on sale.
Either way, engraving sounds like a good idea in case you leave it somewhere. That is something I will consider as well.
Again, sorry that I couldn’t be of assistance. I wish you good luck with your purchase. It would be interesting if you could share your buying and user experiences once you have the Prince in your hands.
Dan Garnett
Comment on April 23, 2005 at 10:21 pm
I have one on order (polished chestunt handle). I also questioned spending so much but I have heard so many good things, and surmised that eventually the umbrella will pay for itself. I'll keep you all posted after it arrives.
Lars
Comment on April 24, 2005 at 12:48 pm
Dan, thanks for your comment. I am looking forward to your impressions.
Dan Garnett
Comment on November 10, 2005 at 3:33 pm
I finally ordered a Brigg (polished chestnut handle) and it arrived yesterday. All prior comments are true–it is a work of art. I bought from the Classic Luggage site that Ray K. referenced above and was very pleased. The CSR, Susan Jeffery, was very friendly and extremely helpful! Plus the cost was less than $250 (which included shipping)–much less than some other prices I have seen for the same product. I would definitely recommend this company, which is based in Washington, DC, but imports the umbrellas from England. And ask for Susan!
Don Horwitz
Comment on July 18, 2006 at 3:54 am
Who repairs Briggs umbrelas in UK or USA?
E. Bustillos
Comment on September 29, 2006 at 9:28 pm
I recently lost my umbrella of 25 years and feel as though I lost a friend. This was a “windproof” wood-handled model I picked up in Seattle in 1981. It never had a cover and so had been faded to a striped black and gray with much character. It held up to it’s billing as never having been bested by wind and I never held back in testing it.
Now I am in the unfortunate position of having to find a replacement. I have found the Brigg umbrella and it looks as though it will satisfy my requirements. I go for as large a canopy as possible, but would abhor carting around a golf umbrella.