“Purple is not an easy color to get right on a helmet,” commented Nutcase founder Michael Morrow.

“It hasn’t been my favorite color to put on a helmet just because it’s so difficult to get perfect.”

But getting it right – i.e finding a shade of purple that is not too reddish, not too mauve, not too dark, and not overly fussy – was key for the new 2015 Island Sunset street helmet.

“We wanted to find that perfect purple because it just looks so great with the yellow and the orange stripes,” Michael said.

Island themes – also seen in the Hula series of helmets (Hula Blue and Hula Vibe) that we’ve done in different hues and color palettes – are part of our Nutcase heritage.

That’s because island imagery is part of Michael’s internal aesthetic.

“The island life – Hawaii, the beach, the kick-back vacation, the surf and skate ideal – has always really appealed to me,” he said.

“And, they are also an integral part of sports life and sports culture.”

Many people might not think of a sunset when they first glance at the Island Sunset helmet. And that’s okay.

Michael likes his designs to steer away from the loud and gimicky and toward the evergreen – in other words, to be visually appealing day in and day out.

That’s how Island Sunset comes together – the eye might notice the dominant royal purple background color first, and then by degrees discover the entire pattern of different thicknesses of stripes.

“It’s a beautiful gradation of stripes,” Michael said. “If you take a look at them horizontally you see the Polynesian influence in the colors and the pattern, but when they are set vertically really you just notice that the pattern is pleasing, calming – a bit of an oasis for the eyes.”

Island Sunset finds a royal shade of purple.

A little bit of the islands on your helmet.