Cities are the future.

Urbanisation is gathering pace: China already has more than 100 cities with over a million inhabitants, while Tokyo’s population is fast approaching 40m. Within the next 20 years, an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in the urban sprawl. 

This excites us. Not only are cities safer, healthier and more productive than any other form of human habitation, they’re also places of innovation and opportunity. Of course, they have their problems. But we believe they can be overcome by the exchange of ideas and testing of solutions that urban living encourages.

We tell the stories of the metropolis, finding inspiration in its people and places – both the remarkable and the everyday. We dig a little deeper than the latest fashionable hotspots, to ask “Why?” and say “Have you noticed?”

From architecture and design to social history and popular culture, Umbrella covers the details of city life. Enjoy.

Matt & Tony, Co-Founders, Umbrella