We're very proud that a selection of our umbrellas are available to be purchased in a small number of indie shops, galleries and Museums across the UK. 

Check out our up-to-date page of our current retailers here.

If you're a retailer and would like to see SOAKED in your store in future, please get in touch via our contact us form - we'd be delighted to hear from you.

We do! We're also glad you asked - because we're on a bit of a mission to tackle the incredible waste created by the custom branded umbrella market - where umbrellas are often produced quickly, cheaply, and with no thought to their lifecycle. We think we can offer you something much better. 

Pop us an email at hello@soakedumbrellas.co.uk - we'd love to hear from you.

In sleeve: Height 31cm x width 6cm.

Expanded: Height 54cm x width 102cm.

Weight: 450 grams. Our wooden ergonomic handle helps spread the weight evenly and comfortably, so you won't notice a difference when your brolly is up shielding you from the elements.

1. Press the raindrop button to open.
2. Press the raindrop button to collapse the canopy.
3. Push together with your palms from each end towards the middle until you hear a satisfying click!

When your SOAKED umbrella arrives, we've included a handy illustrated card showing you how to open and close your new umbrella. Trying to manually override the automatic features can damage the mechanism, so keep it simple and follow the steps!

The short answer: yes - but hear us out. It’s actually not a bad thing.

When we began designing SOAKED umbrellas, we were on a mission to create a brolly that never flipped inside out again. Then we realised something: a completely rigid umbrella is a broken umbrella waiting to happen. Umbrellas flip inside out because of wind pressure. If you make the frame so rigid that it can't adapt under pressure, it will snap instead.

So we shifted our focus - an umbrella that can survive the weather, even with a little flip inside out, without breaking. Have we got you back on side yet?

Our umbrellas use a flexible, wind-resistant 8-rib fibreglass frame designed to bend with the weather rather than fight it. That means they perform far better in the wind than your average brolly - we’ve tested them on hills, in storms, and in the worst of Manchester rain - but in extreme gusts, they can still invert.

That little flip is your umbrella’s way of saying it’s getting a bit wild out here.

And that matters, because repeated inversions in high winds can eventually result in damage - even if the frame is really, really good. We think of it in the same way you wouldn't take your flip flops out on a winter's day - sometimes the conditions just don't suit.

So if you’re heading out into a full-on gale - the kind that’s more wind than rain - grab a raincoat instead and let your SOAKED stay safely ready for the next 99% of normal rainy days.

Our umbrellas are built from the good stuff - a sturdy fibreglass frame, a recycled, water-resistant canopy, and materials designed to actually last. That means they’re a little more solid than your average corner-shop brolly.

They also need a firm push to close fully back into the handle - it’s part of what keeps the mechanism durable and wobble-free over time. Because of this, they may not be the best choice for people with limited grip strength, including arthritis, or people who may find two-handed closing difficult.

If you’re unsure, just shout - we’ll always give you a honest answer if you want to check if our umbrellas are right for you.

SOAKED is run by co-founders Meg and David, who both live happily in rainy Manchester, UK. 

Our umbrellas are handmade in beautiful Xiamen, China. It's estimated that over 90% of the world's umbrellas are manufactured in China, so working here means we can tap into leading expertise to build the umbrella exactly as we want it.

We cherish our incredibly close working relationship with our manufacturer and have witnessed in-person every step of the build process. Our manufacturer also maintains strict audits to ensure compliance with local and national working standards, so we maintain confidence that our umbrellas are manufactured responsibly in a way that is kind on people and planet.

We are occasionally asked why our umbrellas aren't made at home in the UK - and it's a topic we're keen to talk about. The reality is there are less than a handful of true umbrella manufacturers in the UK. Those manufacturers make beautiful, high-quality products, but often the price tags start in the £100s (we are always happy to signpost customers to those companies should this be of interest).

Our mission is to cut down on the one billion umbrellas destined for landfill every year because they’ve been made quickly, cheaply, and without any thought to their longevity. We aim to offer something better – an umbrella simply designed to last, manufactured responsibly, and at a price point that means we can make a tangible difference. 

So, for now, we’ve settled ourselves that we can aim to tackle one problem (disposable, landfill-destined umbrellas), without tackling them all, including the incredible challenges that UK manufacturing faces. In a nutshell - we're normal people, trying to make a difference, and be as open and transparent as we can about it in the process! We hope this answer achieves that.