In the early 1960s, plastic wavy umbrellas were installed on the Yalta Embankment, looking either like mushrooms or edelweiss flowers. They are still one of the most recognizable symbols of the resort city.
The story of their appearance in Yalta is amazing. They were designed by the legendary George Nelson, Vitra's chief architect. Exhibited in the Moscow Sokolniki Park, during the "American National Exhibition". She introduced the Soviet people to the technical achievements of the United States. On one of the days of the exhibition, an American fashion show was held under this huge umbrella. The show was organized by Eleanor Lambert, the godmother of 1960s American fashion.
At the end of the exposition, the umbrellas went to Yalta. In Moscow, the umbrellas were white, and in the first years of their existence in Yalta, they remained the same. Now in the photo we see structures that have turned yellow from time and the sun. In 2002, the reconstruction of the Embankment began, and in March 2003 the umbrellas were cut down. In the end, we decided to make new umbrellas without changing their appearance.