Knirps

About Knirps

Knirps is a German umbrella brand with a very practical origin. After a war injury, Hans Haupt found it hard to carry a walking stick and an umbrella together, so he made a collapsible pocket umbrella in 1928. He called it his little "Knirps", German for "little guy". Bremshey & Co of Solingen helped bring it into production. Knirps patented the telescopic umbrella in 1934 and introduced the automatic umbrella in 1965. The X1 followed in 2004, still the smallest in the range, and the Duomatic opens and closes with one button press. Models are tested in a wind tunnel, and some are rated to 150 km/h. The red dot is the brand's mark. Since 2005 it has been owned by doppler & Co of Austria.