When my colleague, Anne-Marije, first spotted the Hövding, we shared a giggle and eye roll over it. Perhaps it was the marketing image associated with it. After all, neither of us rides in high fashion, so why would we want a silly bubble helmet around our heads? I don't find my helmet particularly troublesome (in fact people recognize it with a smile), though I get it that some people are helmet-averse, including the Hövding designers. At the time, I mentally filed the inflatable helmet into the category of "interesting, if a bit odd, design ideas from Sweden."
Then today I watched the story of how the Hövding came into existence.
Wow! I have great admiration for Anna and Terese's ingenuity and innovative approach to what was considered impossible, and their story is about much more than an inflatable helmet. From their website:
Hövding is the Swedish for "Chieftain" and our Hövding is a leader and a role model, with its sights set on changing the world. We want to encourage others to follow in our footsteps and dare to demand something better, to stand out from the crowd, and believe in themselves and their own capabilities.
In many ways, we can apply their philosophy to the bike movement. Demand something better, work toward change, don't believe people who tell you it can't be done, then amaze the world.
I like it.
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