Closca foldable cycle helmets
An award-winning Closca helmet is certainly a piece of safety attire that will turn heads as well as protect them
It's a small design studio that won Spain's National Design Prize for its Fuga foldable cycle helmet. Closca founder and designer Carlos Ferrando says his motivation in designing the product was to 'make the urban cyclist more beautiful' and no doubt many of us can drink to that... normal bike helmets make people look as if they're rigged up for electrical impulse tests in the neurology department, or in the case of those pointy helmets worn by the super serious cyclist who wishes they lived by a velodrome, like something out of Star Wars.
So Closca helmets come in a woolly hat, or peaked cap style among others, and the great thing about them technically is that they fold down almost flat so you can slip them into a bag or briefcase when you get to your destination.
They're made in China from ABS plastic which is highly impact-resistant and fully and easily recycled.
Closa's own research suggests having a more fashionable range of helmets is something of a motivator to embrace protective headgear. 'Fifty six per cent of our buyers to date say ours is the first cycle helmet they've bought,' says Ferrando, who adds that nine per cent of their customers say they cycle more because they protected and stylish... And the brand has brought out a range of accessories from lights to water bottles.
But does the Closca overcome the problem of 'helmet hair' so dreaded by the woman who loves bouffanted locks? Ferrando will be conducting research on this and will report back.