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Vivian Westwood Fan
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group always commission a new fan when they open a new hotel anywhere in the world.In 2023 the late Dame Vivienne Westwood was commissioned to design a fan for the new hotel in Hanover Square,London.
In collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers ,the Vivienne Westwood design team and an array of UK manufacturing skills produced the fan which we see in the lobby of the hotel today.Using a fallen branch of a London Plane tree from St James Park the fan sticks were fashioned by the late Malcom Cox an honorary member of the company.
The design was screen printed by hand in London by IVO Textiles the great fashion fabric printers.The design was printed onto silk woven in Suffolk by the Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company.The painted design was translated onto the sticks by the artist and Liveryman Tom Saunders and the London jeweller Katy Feldstein made the silver heart and cross.
This was the first fully made UK fan in 70 years and the start of a new revival of the art form.
Marie Antoinette — arguably the most fashionable queen in history — is celebrated in a sumptuous new exhibition that offers a feast for the senses and a rare delight for devoted admirers of the fan. Exquisite historic examples take pride of place alongside playful contemporary designs available to purchase, together with an elegant selection of fan-themed note cards.
‘Marie Antoinette’ is now on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it will run until 22 March 2026.
