An umbrella is a must to survive the showers and beat the heat. And if you prefer to add a bit of quirk when the heavens open, Nikhil More and Santosh Shelar, the duo behind multidisciplinary urban design studio Black Balloons, have the right shelter to take cover under. While Nikhil is a freelance graphic designer, Santosh is a trained sculptor from the Sir JJ School of Art and runs his own business.

Their range of handpainted umbrellas are adorned with doodles, images inspired by the movie poster of Deewar and the song Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhagi Si picturised on Madhubala and Kishore Kumar. For the god-fearing lot, they have an Oh My God series that features deities like Vishnu and Shiva and music lovers can check out the colourful Bob Marley and Madonna umbrellas. They also have umbrellas etched with pictures of beautiful girls looking lost in the rain. The images are hand-painted using fabric colours and there are two artists who help them to execute the creations.


The One Love umbrella