Umbrella and accessories label Senz files for bankruptcy

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Sep 6, 2018

Dutch umbrella and accessories label Senz, known for inventing the storm-proof umbrella, has filed for bankruptcy.

According to Dutch news website Nu.nl, Senz applied for bankruptcy on 4 September. However, the brand and its court administrator did not disclose any details on the cause of its failure.

The court administrator told Nu.nl: “It is clear that it is a combination of factors, there is not one cause, the company did not perform well in different areas.”

The court administrator is hoping for a relaunch of the brand, and added: “"I believe it's a great concept and a nice brand, there should be a solution.”

In 2016 Senz lost a lawsuit against competitor Impliva that had lasted for nine years. The judge ruled that Impliva's storm umbrella did not infringe Senz's patent and that small differences are sufficient to create a different design concept.

In December 2017, Senz launched its first bag collection, focused on women. The collection included waterproof designs, which also offered space to store umbrellas.

Senz was founded in 2006 by three Industrial Design students from the Delft University of Technology. In recent years, the brand has won numerous design awards, including: Dutch Design Award, Design Management Europe Award (UK) and IDEA Gold (USA).

The Delft-based umbrella label was available in more than 50 countries across Europe, Asia, North and South America. The headquarters employed 12 people. Dutch points of sales included department store de Bijenkorf; online store Travelbags; and e-tailer Bol.com.