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Design story: the Bugaboo Fox Stellar

Design story: the Bugaboo Fox Stellar

At Bugaboo, innovation is in our DNA and we are constantly evolving and improving our products to suit the needs of parents. Often this starts by identifying a problem, then looking at how we can solve it through design. Our latest release is no exception and its story begins in the northern hemisphere. For many parents living in this part of the world, an afternoon stroll during winter means strolling in the dark. Parents want to stay visible when they are out with their stroller and don’t want to restrict their family adventure to daylight hours. To solve this problem we set to work creating a stroller that reflects light and can be seen at night. 

“At Bugaboo, we are always innovating and finding ways to help families move freely. We know parents like to get out and explore whatever the time of day, but are concerned about being seen when they stroll at night or during the shorter days of the year.” Sietske Sinnema, Senior Product Developer.

360° nighttime visibility

The complete Bugaboo Fox Stellar provides 360° nighttime visibility from up to 150m away. The stroller features 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material on the wheel caps and the front and rear of the chassis, while a reflective logo and zipper were incorporated into the sun canopy. When these reflective parts are illuminated by a light source, like a car’s headlights, they make the stroller stand out in the dark.

Design story: Bugaboo Fox Stellar | Blog

The design team chose to use 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material on the wheel caps and chassis because 3M is a trusted name and a pioneer in developing the science behind retroreflection. They have been advancing their technology for over 70 years and as well as offering a high level of visibility, 3M’s tapes are proven to be durable and high quality. They are also washable and fully suitable for outdoor use. 

Ready for every adventure 

When developing a new stroller concept, our design department always pays attention to the finer details. The Bugaboo Stellar is all about helping parents get out and explore whatever the time of day AND whatever the season. We thought about those dark and rainy days you have to endure and added things like a weatherproof under-seat basket to keep your belongings dry, a high-performance rain cover to protect your child from the elements and rugged tires for taking on those muddy trails. Sometimes these little details might not seem like much or you might not even notice them at first glance, but there is always a thought process and rationale for everything we do.

Design story: Bugaboo Fox Stellar | Blog

Form meets function

As well as focusing on performance, the look of the stroller is always an important consideration at Bugaboo. Not only does the stroller need to be visible at night, it needs to look good during the day. To create a sleek look, our styling team selected a neutral Midnight Blue fabric with a Steel Blue lining, and combined it with a black chassis and grey leather-look handlebar and carry handle.



Design story: Bugaboo Fox Stellar | Blog

Sietske Sinnema explains the process behind choosing the perfect fabrics and colors:

“I always stay current with the latest innovations in colors, fabrics and shapes as well as innovation on an industrial design level and by looking at the behavior of consumers. When you know what the trends are now, you know what’s new and get a nose for this, this is what styling is all about. When a new design project starts, I start building the concept with pictures and short words to explain the feeling which I would like to evoke in end product. I visualize this together with the materials I would like to use.”

She goes on to explain that we’ve come from a period with lots of greys, and now we see more and more colors coming up with greyish undertones. Steel Blue is a warm color and it has been used more and more in industrial design and interior design. Design is getting cleaner and smarter, so she chose for a bigger color block with no contrasting color on the lining.



Design story: Bugaboo Fox Stellar | Blog

Reflective accessories for your current stroller

As well as creating the Bugaboo Fox Stellar, we also thought about current Bugaboo stroller owners who might want to add some reflective elements to their stroller. As part of the Stellar Collection, we developed the Bugaboo Sun Canopy Stellar, Bugaboo Breezy Sun Canopy Stellar, Bugaboo Wheel Caps Reflective with 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material and the Bugaboo High-Performance Footmuff Stellar.