As summer continues on in Vancouver (now complete with sunshine), I continually seek out well-designed and useful accessories to get me around town in style and promote cycling as a daily event rather than a workout.

I was recently sent a beautiful Sawako Furuno Hanabi helmet to road test and review. Sawako Furuno is a UK-based cycle accessory and clothing label for women.

Furuno, originally from Tokyo, is a trained architect who has always been passionate about design.

A London commuter, she was keen to design products that would stand out from the typical range of unattractive cycling accessories and apparel. “The brand is about being feminine, stylish and having fun on your bike”, according to Cycle Fashion.

The first things that came to mind were how lightweight and comfortable it felt to wear.

The helmets have been receiving great reviews both in print and online, including TimeOut London and the Evening Standard.

Earlier this year, local Dutch bike company Jorg and Olif included the helmet in a review of five cool bike helmets, declaring it the perfect female cycling accessory.

The Hanabi is part of the Classic revival collection from Cycle Fashion and is inspired by a traditional Japanese aesthetic.

The BMX-style helmet’s loaded with a floral motif and comes in one size (medium). It’s fully adjustable via clicking the wheel (at rear of helmet), as well as changing the length of the straps.

I’ve cycled with the pretty Hanabi floral helmet numerous times around town and it always gets compliments!

The designer has expanded the line to include fleece-lined ear cosies. Although the shop’s based in London, the helmet can be ordered in Canada online at Velo Lifestyle.

I was sent the Sawako Furuno Hanabi helmet for the purpose of writing this review. Opinions, as always, are my own.

8 Comments

  • Comment by Jody — August 22, 2010 @ 9:36 pm

    What a beautiful helmet. I’m going to the website now to check out the line. Thanks for posting this! Too many boring helmets out there.

  • Comment by Senior Gal — August 22, 2010 @ 9:59 pm

    Hopefully Sawako’s helmets will come to Seattle soon. Great photos, by the way!

  • Comment by BikeGal — August 22, 2010 @ 11:33 pm

    So cool! I’m all about great-looking helmets, helmet hair or not!

  • Comment by Steve — August 23, 2010 @ 8:17 am

    I hope to see some guy’s version of this helmet soon. I’m in Calgary and we don’t have enough cool bike stuff available around here 🙁

  • Comment by maggie — April 10, 2012 @ 6:03 pm

    The US site is no longer in existence per the vendor.

  • Comment by arianec — April 11, 2012 @ 10:15 am

    Hi Maggie,
    I’ve updated my post accordingly. Thanks for the heads up on the SF-based online store closure!

  • Comment by Fiona — December 17, 2013 @ 8:22 am

    You can buy them in Canada at velolifestyle.com

  • Comment by Ariane Colenbrander — December 17, 2013 @ 9:02 am

    Thanks Fiona!

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