Twenty-eight brand guides to umbrellas — hand-assembled city umbrellas, engineered storm designs and traditional parasol crafts.
Umbrella-making survives in a handful of workshops, alongside engineered newcomers and mass-market brands. These guides set out who makes what, and where.
Workshops
James Ince & Sons, described as the oldest surviving UK umbrella maker, hand-assembles in East London; Francesco Maglia is a six-generation Milan house; Mario Talarico makes the shaft and handle from one piece of wood in Naples; Parapluies de Cherbourg hand-assembles in thirty-seven steps; and Hiyoshiya is the last Kyoto wagasa maker.
Engineering and the everyday
Senz engineered an aerodynamic storm canopy, Blunt a radial-tensioning system with blunt tips, and Davek treats the umbrella as a durable object. Everyday leaders include Fulton in Britain, Tian Tang in China and Stag in India, an institution since 1860.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers who owns the name today, where the products are made — by the maker’s own account and, where it differs, by other sources — and the brand’s visual identity. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Umbrella makers, part 1
Fox, Francesco Maglia, Maehara, Parapluies de Cherbourg, Doppler, Senz and Blunt.
- Fox Umbrellas — The English house hand-assembling the solid-stick city umbrella, with honest caveats.
- Francesco Maglia — The six-generation Milan house hand-making solid-wood-stick umbrellas.
- Maehara — The Tokyo house hand-assembling fine Western-style umbrellas, made in Japan.
- Parapluies de Cherbourg — The Normandy house hand-assembling umbrellas in thirty-seven steps, made in France.
- Doppler — The Austrian umbrella house with a genuine Made-in-Austria Manufaktur line, told honestly.
- Senz — The Dutch-designed storm umbrella with an engineered aerodynamic canopy, told honestly.
- Blunt — The New Zealand-engineered umbrella with blunt tips and a radial-tensioning system, told honestly.
Umbrella makers, part 2
Mario Talarico, Piganiol, EuroSCHIRM, Hiyoshiya, Brigg, Davek and Ezpeleta.
- Mario Talarico — The Naples house whose umbrella shaft and handle are one continuous piece of wood.
- Piganiol — The French house making umbrellas in Aurillac, the country’s historic umbrella capital.
- EuroSCHIRM — The Ulm family house whose brillant line is hand-made in Germany, told honestly.
- Hiyoshiya — The last Kyoto wagasa maker, hand-building bamboo-and-washi umbrellas, with cultural-craft care.
- Brigg — The English house making solid-stick, steam-curved umbrellas in Cambridgeshire, with honest caveats.
- Davek — The New York house that engineers the umbrella as a durable object, told honestly.
- Ezpeleta — The Basque house that still manufactures umbrellas, with a hand-made Made-in-Spain line, told honestly.
Umbrella makers, part 3
Tian Tang, Stag, Shelta, Fulton, Komiya, American Holtzkraft and Pasotti.
- Tian Tang — China’s leading everyday umbrella brand, made in Hangzhou, told with honest caveats.
- Stag — Ebrahim Currim & Sons’ Indian umbrella institution since 1860, told with honest caveats.
- Shelta — The 1911 Sydney house engineering umbrellas for Australian sun and wind, told honestly.
- Fulton — Britain’s leading everyday umbrella brand and the Birdcage dome, told with honest caveats.
- Komiya — The Tokyo house hand-making fine Western-style umbrellas in Kōshū-ori, made in Japan.
- American Holtzkraft — The Pennsylvania house making Northern-Ash hardwood umbrellas in the USA.
- Pasotti — The Lombardy house making ornate, hand-decorated luxury umbrellas in Italy.
Umbrella makers, part 4
Ince, WAKAO, Guy de Jean, Payung Geulis, Jossois, Fiberlite and Shwe Sar.
- Ince — James Ince & Sons, the oldest surviving UK umbrella maker, hand-assembled in East London.
- WAKAO — The Tokyo house celebrated for hand-finished folding umbrellas, made in Japan.
- Guy de Jean — The French house making decorative fashion umbrellas, hand-assembled in France.
- Payung Geulis — The endangered Tasikmalaya hand-painted parasol craft, made in West Java, with cultural care.
- Jossois — The Portuguese family manufacturer making umbrellas and parasols in Portugal.
- Fiberlite — The American family maker that patented and handcrafts fiberglass-frame umbrellas in the USA.
- Shwe Sar — The hand-painted Pathein cotton parasol craft of Myanmar, made by hand, with cultural care.
At a glance: who owns the name and where it is made
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Ownership and production change; follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Founded | Owner | Where made |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Holtzkraft | 1985 (USA) | See guide | Mount Pleasant Mills, PA |
| Blunt | 2006 (New Zealand) | See guide | NZ-designed · made in China |
| Brigg | c.1836 (England) | See guide | Cambridgeshire, England |
| Davek | 2005 (USA) | See guide | NY-designed · made in Asia |
| Doppler | mid-1940s (Austria) | See guide | Braunau · part made in Austria |
| EuroSCHIRM | 1919 (Germany) | See guide | Ulm · brillant line made in Germany |
| Ezpeleta | 1935 (Spain) | See guide | Oñati (Basque) · part in Spain |
| Fiberlite | 1987 (USA) | See guide | South Florida, USA |
| Fox Umbrellas | 1868 (England) | See guide | Croydon, England |
| Francesco Maglia | 1854 (Italy) | See guide | Milan, Italy |
| Fulton | 1956 (England) | See guide | London-designed · made in Far East |
| Guy de Jean | 1920 (France) | See guide | Donzy, France |
| Hiyoshiya | late Edo (Japan) | See guide | Kyoto, Japan |
| Ince | 1805 (England) | See guide | East London, England |
| Jossois | 1976 (Portugal) | See guide | Vila Verde, Portugal |
| Komiya | 1930 (Japan) | See guide | Tokyo, Japan |
| Maehara | 1948 (Japan) | See guide | Tokyo, Japan |
| Mario Talarico | 1860 (Italy) | See guide | Naples, Italy |
| Parapluies de Cherbourg | 1986 (France) | See guide | Cherbourg, France |
| Pasotti | 1956 (Italy) | See guide | Castellucchio, Italy |
| Payung Geulis | 1971 (workshop) (Indonesia) | See guide | Tasikmalaya, Indonesia |
| Piganiol | 1884 (France) | See guide | Aurillac, France |
| Senz | 2006 (Netherlands) | See guide | Dutch-designed · made in China |
| Shelta | 1911 (Australia) | See guide | Australian-designed · made offshore |
| Shwe Sar | craft workshop (Myanmar) | See guide | Pathein, Myanmar |
| Stag | 1860 (India) | See guide | India · assembled |
| Tian Tang | 1984 (China) | See guide | Hangzhou, China |
| WAKAO | 1938 (Japan) | See guide | Tokyo, Japan |
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest umbrella maker in the UK?
James Ince & Sons, according to our guide, which describes it as the oldest surviving UK umbrella maker.
Who still makes wagasa in Kyoto?
Hiyoshiya, described in our guide as the last Kyoto wagasa maker.
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