ABOUT US

BC2 is established in 2013 by Nina and Phil Bracen.

They have a long history in designing award-winning products.

 

Nina studied Design at Victoria University and worked at buggy company phil&teds. It was there she met Phil. Phil’s many accolades included co-designing (with good friend Adrian Sargeant) the Fisher & Paykel revolutionary 'DishDrawer'.

 

Together, they've put their extensive skills and experience to reimagining the traditional walker both aesthetically and functionally. The first idea started forming in 2006, when Nina was at a design conference. “A gentleman, upon learning that I worked at phil&teds, asked if I could design beautiful walking frames. He had a friend who was sensitive about his appearance and hated his ugly walker.”

 

The second ‘aha’ moment came one night out at a restaurant when the couple noticed an elderly lady sitting uncomfortably on her traditional walker. “It was hard to adjust and looked wrong in that environment,” Nina remembers. 

During extensive research at retirement homes and hospitals, Nina and Phil learned elderly people had fallen because they resisted using walkers because of the stigma around ageing and sickness. They were determined to make something simpler, elegant, and extremely functional, a walker that people would be proud to use at home or in the city streets.

 

They spent 3 years developing their stylish fold up walker, complete with patented auto brake technology, hidden brake cables, adjustable handles and built-in seat. The result is a walker that is sleeker, more lightweight, and automatically brakes when the user lets go of the handles. It's super easy to pack away or fit into a car, which Phil said was one of the issues people faced with traditional walkers.

 

The product of their combined passion for design is the ‘NIP’ walker, walking frame – an innovative lifestyle walking frame for the disabled and the elderly – aka NIP ‘New Independent People’.

 

Loved by many, the NIP walker is available for purchase directly from this site, Well-able and few shops in Northland in New Zealand.

 

Last past years, we have been asked by many Australian customers whether they can purchase a BC2 walker. 

Now we can say “YES” -  Adrian will lead Australian market. 

 

Adrian’s word :

I am passionate for designs that really suit their customer - After designing appliances for 30 years, I've spent the last decade applying this to creating custom motorcycles for riders who want their ride to reflect their personality. I find achieving this very satisfying - From here in Australia I have followed Phil and Nina's refinement of the Escape and Balance walkers, and now I am excited to be bringing them to Australia - I am looking forward to working with the local folk and being part of the refinement as it continues.