Funktion Portable Skate Helmet


This collapsible skate helmet is for street skaters and pure skate enthusiasts who are looking for portability and style. It was inspired by key findings based on observation, revealing this major unmet need. The research also revealed the demand for simplicity was the key aesthetic of the true skate culture; explorations of skate culture and fashion led to the design. The helmet is fastened and unfastened like a corset: the user pulls a bungie-like cord, allowing the plates to interlock, creating a tight and impact- protective shell around the head. Mock-up research and investigation has proved that the interlocking system works as a legitimate concept.

This collapsible skate helmet is for street skaters and pure skate enthusiasts who are looking for portability and style. It was inspired by key findings based on observation, revealing this major unmet need. The research also revealed the demand for simplicity was the key aesthetic of the true skate culture; explorations of skate culture and fashion led to the design.

The helmet is fastened and unfastened like a corset: the user pulls a bungie-like cord, allowing the plates to interlock, creating a tight and impact- protective shell around the head. Mock-up research and investigation has proved that the interlocking system works as a legitimate concept.


Designed by: Vinh Pho, Product Design, Art Center College of Design Faculty: Fridolin Beisert Company Information: Founded in 1930, Art Center College of Design has long been at the forefront of cultivating leaders in the fields of art and design. From its seminal role in the founding of the first advanced-design concept studio for the automotive industry in the 1950s, to being the first design school to receive the United Nations non-governmental organization (NGO) status, to its commitment to having art and design play a role in addressing sustainability issues, Art Center has a history of anticipating societal changes and trends. Contact: Katherine Bennett: kbennett@artcenter.edu

Designed by: Vinh Pho, Product Design, Art Center College of Design
Faculty: Fridolin Beisert

Company Information:

Founded in 1930, Art Center College of Design has long been at the forefront of cultivating leaders in the fields of art and design. From its seminal role in the founding of the first advanced-design concept studio for the automotive industry in the 1950s, to being the first design school to receive the United Nations non-governmental organization (NGO) status, to its commitment to having art and design play a role in addressing sustainability issues, Art Center has a history of anticipating societal changes and trends.

Contact: Katherine Bennett: kbennett@artcenter.edu