New Zealand knows wind, and wind knows New Zealand.
In places like Wellington, it can blow a grown man off his bike, knock down a billboard and force an umbrella to expose its insides.
Blunt Umbrellas has taken up this challenge like wind off its back and, through necessity, genius was created.
The innovation of the New Zealand-owned and operated company has the world turning heads, not umbrellas.
Its Blunt G1 model retails for $139 - a hefty figure for an umbrella - but the company says given its ability to stay intact in the face of the strongest winds, it is a worthwhile purchase.
Newshub took one to Auckland University's aerodynamics laboratory to see if it would blow out, or breeze through a high winds test.
Blunt's brand manager Josh Page says the umbrella's durability comes down to the way it's been designed.
"The design infuses the materials in the most intelligent way by making the canopy tighter. A tight canopy is going to work way better in the wind than one that's floppy," he said.
"At the edge it's softer - that's why it's called a Blunt - and that's the key to it, as that's the area that umbrellas normally break."
Blunt is the brainchild of inventor Greig Brebner, who came up with the concept of a durable and high-quality alternative to commonplace skimpy umbrellas 18 years ago.
"The Blunt Umbrella started back in 1999 for me in London. I was walking around and seeing a problem with umbrellas and thought, 'I can fix it'," he explained.
The company's ethos is to "throw away the throw away culture" inherent in the umbrella industry, and come up with ways to produce umbrellas that are long-lasting.
Able to withstand extreme weather conditions, Blunt Umbrellas are designed to stay above one's head, and out of a landfill.
"There's about 1 billion to 1.5 billion umbrellas made every year," company director Scott Kington said. "They're typically not lasting, so a billion-plus umbrellas are typically ending up in landfill."
"We want a better solution to waste in our products, through technology," Mr Brebner added.
Blunt Umbrellas retail for between $89 and $139.
Newshub.
