When BLUNT set out to collaborate with Sydney-based artist, designer and musician Daimon Downey, the goal was simple: to create an umbrella that felt like a moving piece of art.
The result is anything but simple.
The limited-edition BLUNT x Daimon Downey release is a vivid, joyful, sculptural object that transforms something as ordinary as an umbrella into a statement of style, of emotion, and of creative intent, a travelling canvas. For Downey, this collaboration is about more than just staying dry. “The BLUNT collaboration feels like a handheld sculpture,” he explains. “My broken geometry spread across BLUNT’s unique shape. Zooming in on paper-cut collage, piecing together a broken pattern to reveal a happy core that will protect you from more than just the elements.”
Daimon Downey is no stranger to transformation. Based in the vibrant creative community of Bondi Beach, he’s carved out a distinctive career that spans music, fine art, and design. Many first knew him as the exuberant frontman of Australian electro-pop group Sneaky Sound System, before he pivoted into the world of visual art and homewares.
In recent years, his collaboration with cult-favourite brand In The Roundhouse saw him design a highly coveted collection of seafood- and Italian-inspired plates and serving ware, pieces that now adorn the tables and kitchens of tastemakers across the globe.
He has also made a mark on Sydney’s hospitality scene, painting large-scale murals, paintings and sculptures for some of the city’s most iconic dining institutions including Icebergs, Tanuki and Matteo. Each project speaks to his intuitive understanding of how art can transform a space, and spark delight. Whether it’s a ceramic octopus platter or a resin-splashed canvas, Downey’s work invites people to find joy, colour, and whimsy in the everyday. That same philosophy is at the core of his collaboration with BLUNT.
“My inspiration is happiness with a mission.”
Quote by|Daimon Downey
“If you are walking in the rain with an umbrella, you are going somewhere… there is purpose. Enjoy the journey.” says Downey.
That sense of optimism pulses through the BLUNT x Daimon Downey design, a kaleidoscope of painted paper and collage reassembled into geometric forms that dance across the umbrella’s canopy. Each panel holds its own unique design, yet they come together as a cohesive whole. The shape of the umbrella itself, circular and kinetic, became a defining part of the design process.
“Designing for an umbrella came with its challenges,” Downey admits
"but they also became the blessings. Its shape became part of the design. A circle of separate wedges, unique in design, needed to match up to form a whole. Yet as you spin the umbrella you have a different viewpoint above you. That is for the user… equally, you need to keep the person walking toward you entertained as well. It’s art on the move.”
That idea that the umbrella is not just a tool, but a living, moving canvas, infuses the entire project.
It’s functional, yes, but also expressive. Unexpected. A little cheeky. Made to spark connection in the rain. Even Downey’s chosen medium (painted paper and collage) adds a tactile, almost nostalgic dimension to the design.
There’s an honesty in the visible brushstrokes, the hand-cut forms, the carefully arranged composition. It feels real. And in a world that can feel heavy and uncertain, Downey hopes his art offers a moment of light. “My artistic style is inspired by most things,” he says.
“Darkness inspires me not. Happiness reminds me to search for it."
"The world can be scary at times so we need to be reminded of its wonder, and that is my offering to you.” says Downey.
The umbrella’s movement only enhances that offering. As it turns, it reveals different angles and perspectives, much like Downey’s broader body of work, which spans not just visual arts, but performance, fashion, and music.
We asked what kind of soundtrack might accompany the umbrella, he grins: “The soundtrack to this umbrella would be Bondi Boys meets Kraftwerk.” It’s an appropriately upbeat, unexpected pairing reflecting the tension at the heart of this collaboration: BLUNT’s famously precise, engineered umbrella forms brought to life with Downey’s wild, joyful spontaneity.
For Downey, that mix of creativity and craftsmanship is sacred. “When anything has been crafted by hands that have integrity, honesty and care, that feeling translates to the person looking, feeling and owning that object,” he says. “It becomes valuable beyond cost and something to care for. It has a higher purpose.”
Purpose is something Downey knows well.
His Sydney studio is a creative playground designed for experimentation and connection. “I love my studio, it’s another world. It has one purpose and that is to facilitate my need to play,” he says. “Sometimes art can be a solitary game, but this studio seems to attract people so it’s not lonely for long.”
That openness to people, to play, to unexpected weather is what gives this collaboration its unique soul. Downey doesn’t just want people to like the umbrella. He wants them to feel something when they use it.
“I want you to feel that there is no such thing as bad weather,” he says. “Expect to stand out, be proud and hope for rain”.
on 4x
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