Inspiration for the Gulliver came from the archetypal umbrella. The two products are 99% identical in shape, construction, material, and function. Only the scale is different. Scaling up an umbrella leads to a new product with an alienating appearance.

It is that one percent that makes a big difference; in this case the handle forms a foot. The name Gulliver refers to the character in Jonathan Swift’s book in which the principal character ends up in a world where everything is too big or too small.

Davy Grosemans is a Belgian product designer. He graduated from the MAD Faculty in Genk in 1999. In 2001, he founded his own design studio, das Ding, based in Brussels. The most important goal for das Ding is to develop important items and experiments into functional and commercial industrial products in cooperation with manufacturers.

Davy Grosemans has been working as a designer for Sywawa since 2005. This cooperation has already resulted in a number of awards, including for the Breezer, the Hole in One and the FrouFrou.

De “Withered Gulliver” is a unique collaboration between 3 parties.

The pattern for the design parasol came from Studio Job, the studio of the world-famous design duo Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel. They designed the pattern a few years ago to dress a fashion show by Victor & Rolf.

Studio Job is the curator of a new gallery in New York called Chamber. For the gallery they have selected 100 items that together for a type of Collection of Curiosities. One of these customised items is the “Withered Gulliver”.