Helmet maker Giro and renowned French designer Philippe Starck have teamed up to create this futuristic urban helmet, simply known as the Giro by S+Arckbike.
The helmet is inspired by the boom in electric bikes in Europe, which Starck has been a part of with his high end S+Arckbike machines.
We're pretty sure we can see some hints of classic science fiction movies there too, with overtones of The Day The Earth Stood Still and Metropolis. Maybe Starck is also taking some inspiration from his near-namesake Tony. Can an electric bike powered by a flux capacitor be far behind?*
Starck believes helmets for e-bikes (more accurately Electric-Assist Pedal Cycles or EAPC) need to be more like motorbike helmets.
He said: "The EAPC helmet requires ergonomics that resemble more and more those of the motorcycle. A 45km/h EAPC approved helmet requires a full visor to protect from the cold but also from various projectiles."
The Giro/Starck's helmet has an aluminium outer shell and cork lining to provide protection and that full-face visor to ward off flying debris and insects. As well as coming from sustainably harvested cork trees in Portugal, the liner has significant anti-microbial properties, Giro says, so it should resist getting whiffy.
The aluminium shell is also highly recyclable.
“The increasing power of man and machine create new needs and new ergonomics that I have decided to take on with Giro, the most innovative player in this industry,” said Starck.
There's no word yet on when the Giro by S+Arckbike or how much it will cost.
*Yes, I know that was a different movie. It's a joke.
17 thoughts on “Philippe Starck presents novel aluminium-and-cork helmet”
Why are people still
Why are people still patronising this bloke? He’s never given a toss about function, he’s all about the form and the fashion.
Note the nice rigid ‘peak’ to add extra leverage to your neck if you land face first. C’est une cruche de merde.
The Emperors New Helmet,
The Emperors New Helmet, brought to you from the man who can’t design a lemon squeezer.
He likes a good laugh that
He likes a good laugh that Philippe Starck. :))
Well I think it looks quite
Well I think it looks quite cool. Why all the down on Starck? He’s done plenty of good stuff. His Excalibur bog brush was a classic
If it passes the necessary safety criteria then why not?
Huw Watkins wrote:Well I
I reckon it would be a fairly safe bet that it wouldn’t pass any sort of certification for any kind of safety head wear but then that’s not the point of it.
Some of the stuff he does is fun but it’s not really design. At best it’s product styling and tends to have the whiff of something scribbled on an envelope and then handed to someone else to actually make into a manufacturable object.
I was a bit surprised to see he’s still operating really, he’s a bit of a relic from the 90s but obviously Giro think the name still carries some cachet.
Huw Watkins wrote:Well I
Well I need a new bog brush, so does Excalibur work – whats it like handling sprayed on dryed out diarrhea and whats it like shifting those clingy bits that hug the waterline and just don’t shift no matter how much elbow grease.
Perhaps it’s just me, maybe
Perhaps it’s just me, maybe I’m not fully into the design ethic, but if I wanted to design a helmet that needed to be closer to the ergonomics that resemble more and more those of the motorcycle, I’d start with a motorcycle helmet…
…not an aluminium pisspot with a cork lining, however sustainable that lining might be.
John Cooper Clarke wrote a poem about this kind of person, can you guess the title?
Should I fear I am about to
Should I fear I am about to be pithed, I will be sure to reach for this one forthwith.
The visor needs to be
The visor needs to be mirrored.
Looks great as a work of art,
Looks great as a work of art, I really like it.
As helmet, it’s a bit shit and I wouldn’t wear it.
Remember he designed that
Remember he designed that lemon squeezer that looked like a rocket. Fin.
Glad I’m not the only cynical
Glad I’m not the only cynical one here. Starcke’s a Stylist not a Designer. Designers make things work; Stylists make them look pretty.
Good designers also make things look desirable after they’ve made them work. REALLY talented designers find the two inseparable.
Even after all these years, Starcke is still just a stylist. (Have you ever tried to USE that lemon squeezer???)
The French ISP ‘Free’ got
The French ISP ‘Free’ got starck to design their modem – it has little ventilation and overheats but it does look good, at least before meltdown. This helmet seems to suffer the same problems.
As a bike helmet NO flying an
As a bike helmet NO flying an X wing fighter in a galaxy far far away YES 😀
Chris Deacon wrote:As a bike
technically not an x-wing but you’re on the right lines:
“Starck believes helmets for
“Starck believes helmets for e-bikes (more accurately Electric-Assist Pedal Cycles or EAPC) need to be more like motorbike helmets”
Why? Electric assist means that the bike has an electric motor to ASSIST in moving you along – you still need to pedal. For this reason the requirement for ventilation/cooling (or keeping warm when the temparature drops) is more similar to when cycling.
Is there any point worrying
Is there any point worrying about the safty aspect of this helmet? Any adverts for current helmets I’ve seen lately focus on looks, low weight, aerodynamics and ventilation with very little comment on safety (I’ve just seen one that mentions temple protection and that’s all the safety details it gives).