Thousand and Poketo Team Up For Helmet Collaboration

Look out, Los-Angeles, the roads are about to get a lot more stylish. Bicyclers can stay safe in style thanks to this dream collaboration between Los Angeles-based companies Thousand and Poketo.

These two businesses have blended their styles to craft helmets that are indicative of the playful self-expression of both brands. Thousand is an urban cycling company that makes vintage-inspired designed helmets and accessories born from founder Gloria Hwang’s distaste for wearing helmets since they were always a bit too Jetsons for her. After losing a friend to a fatal biking accident, she crafted a helmet people would feel excited to wear.

Poketo is a design-focused retail store founded by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung. Born from the mispronunciation of the word “pocket” by Angie’s grandmother, the brand has expanded to a creative hub with five locations across Los Angeles. Their commitment to intentional designs and meaningful partnerships, like their collaboration with Thousand, highlight their taste-maker status in the design field.

The helmet collaboration, which debuted at the LA Design Festival, was a natural extension of the way Poketo and Thousand experienced their home city of Los Angeles.

“Our offices used to be based down the street from each other, and we used to walk into Poketo’s Little Tokyo store for design inspiration,” said Gloria Hwang, founder of Thousand. “So when we were looking to release our first pattern helmet, we couldn’t think of a local brand with more iconic pattern-work than Poketo. We partnered with Poketo because of our similar product design values. It all comes down to simplicity and quality.”

The packaging is also cleverly designed:

• The reversible packaging serves a dual-purpose as an in-store display for their retail partners and a sturdy, shippable box for direct-to-consumer online orders.
• Thousand spent months developing this customized packaging to adhere to their commitment to environmentally sustainable practices and to address feedback from retailers who were looking for packaging that was better for displaying helmets in-store.
• The open, in-store display side offers an easy view of the helmets' colorways, materials, and finishes when the box is open. When reversed, the packaging is secured with custom tape and becomes a shippable container. The box doesn't need to be overpacked, reducing cardboard usage by more than 50%.

The helmets come in three, quietly designed styles, crafted to empower the urban cyclist to connect with their community and empower them to express themselves through their unique style. One design utilizes familiar Poketo paint swatches (Color Blocks), another is a striking beige and blue (Coral Reef), and the final, a black and white helmet utilizing playful doodles highlighting how distinct Thousand and Poketo’s branding is.

Retailing for $95, the helmets sport vegan, leather straps, a magnetic buckle for one-handed fastening, key ventilation, and the PopLock, a feature signature to Thousand’s that helps riders secure their helmets to their bike.

“Bringing people together and creating positive change to our community is at the heart of both brands,” says Angie Myung on the collaboration.

The future safety of the roads looks chic, and with the rollout of more thoughtfully designed helmets like this collaboration, the hope is to shift the conversation around bicycle safety.