The Hövding invisible helmet of Swedish design is set to stir up attention during the upcoming design of the year awards this spring on the the 24th of April.

The helmet is basically a collar worn by cyclists. The collar contains a folded-up airbag, which inflates upon impact. This ingenious protective headgear is shaped like a hood, that surrounds and protects the cyclist’s head. The trigger mechanism is controlled by sensors, which pick up the abnormal movement of the cyclist in an accident.

“We are extremely excited about the nomination,” said founder Terese Alstin of Hövding. “The inspiration for making the bicycle helmet into a fashion item came from early market research and discussions with cyclists about why they wouldn’t want to wear the traditional helmets. It was clear that people really do want to protect themselves in traffic, ut without sacrificing their personal style (or hairdo) in the process. They wanted something discrete with possibility to change the look from one day to the next, that would match their different outfits – just like a fashion accessory.”

Model wearing the Hövding Creator's Cut.

The Design Museum’ Design of the Year Awards is “the Oscars” of the design world. Hosted in the UK, the awards showcase the most innovative and progressive designs from around the world, spanning seven categories. Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport. With their keen eye to detail and their commitment to go against the critics, they have created a product with an innovative design interest from around the world.

Talking about their ambition, Terese explains more about the concept: “Our aim was to design a bicycle helmet so attractive that people would voluntarily want to start protecting their heads on the roads. We knew that, in order to change the negative attitude and associations that people have towards helmets, we needed to turn the whole idea of a tradition bicycle helmet upside-down and give it a radical makeover.”

It may look daunting with fears like risking your head from getting injured, but the cushioning helmet has proven to save people in collisions. The airbag solution offers a far better shock absorbance capacity, covering a large area of the head and is able to handle multiple impacts. Terese continues saying that it can also prevent potential whiplash injuries, which she knows about, previously being in a couple of accidents herself.

The Hövding helmet will be released in the UK next spring, while in Europe it is already being sold online where there is already a selection to choose from to suit your fashion needs.