World Design Spotlight: Closca helmet

The Closca helmet came into being under the philosophy “Inspire change”, with the ambitious aim of inspiring a change in sustainable mobility and making it more accessible.

With a minimalist design and very stylish aesthetics, the Closca-Fuga cycling helmet folds easily in less than a second – via an internationally patented system – to occupy less than a third of its volume, which has led to its receiving, among others, the Delta Gold award for industrial design.

The project arose in 2013, with a first crowdfunding campaign, but it was in 2016 when Closca began its permanent activity as a brand and as a project. Carlos Ferrando, the current CEO of Closca, together with Rafa Cerdá and Carlos Hernández, decided that they wanted to design products that would change people’s attitude to make cities more friendly. With this premise, they began to create.

The fruit of almost two years of collaboration between the Valencian start-up Closca Design and the creative consultancy team CuldeSac, the final result was this design, which seeks balance, style, functionality and safety, and which was rewarded with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2015.

Closca is formed, today, by a team of 14 people divided between the Operations, Design (graphic and industrial), Marketing and Communication, Digital Development and Administration departments. All the project stages are designed at its headquarters in Valencia.

The innovative design of the helmet, with three pieces that collapse to make it flat, allows it to absorb impacts better, as well as distinguishing it aesthetically from the helmets normally used for cycling. The customizable visors and the NFC chip, which enables information to be shared between the helmet and the user, provide the technological part of the creation.

The helmet is designed for cycling, and for this means of transport it has obtained the most stringent safety certificates in Europe and the United States (CPSC & EN1078). When folded, its original size is reduced by almost 50%, allowing it to be stowed easily in a bag or backpack.

Closca Helmet, manufactured from expanded polystyrene, polycarbonate and glass fibre, has already sold more than 25,000 units. It is available at points of sale around the world and the product is exported to 58 countries.

In the event of a collision when wearing the helmet, the impact is dissipated in an optimum manner thanks to the micro-movements which better distribute the effects of an impact across the whole surface. And, very importantly, it will never fold while being worn, thus providing maximum safety during journeys.

Its innovative integrated ventilation system enables air to circulate, despite the fact that the orifices are concealed, thanks to its Air Flow system. Furthermore, it has a system of orifices that protect against light rain.

The product has crossed the frontiers of use and has climbed a step higher on the design Olympus since, for some years now, it has been sold exclusively in the design shop of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) of New York, which displays it on its select shelves. It is also showcased in the no less select Victoria & Albert Museum of London and the Centre Pompidou of Paris. The interest of these museums is synonymous with good design.

Each piece is printed with the phrase by French scientist Henri Laborit, “Escape is the only way to stay alive and keep dreaming”.