Vivienne Westwood x Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair: Making of the Mayfair Fan

Published: 11 Jun 2019

Vivienne Westwood x Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair: Making of the Mayfair Fan

This special collaboration between the House of Vivienne Westwood and the Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair, features a gorgeous handcrafted fan created especially for auction, with the hope of raising valuable funds to support War Child’s Children's Emergency Fund which supports children in crisis when disaster strikes, such as the outbreak of war or the rapid deterioration of a conflict situation.

Bidding is open until 28 June 2024, 2PM BST. Bid here.

---------

Image courtesy of House of Vivienne Westwood.

Through a shared love of the historic area, one of London’s finest and oldest squares, Mandarin Oriental worked with the house of Vivienne Westwood to design a handcrafted fan to illustrate this elegant square and create a signature emblem to inform the individuality of the new Mandarin Oriental hotel.

The inspiration for the fan started with the historic Square, named in honour of George I, the Elector of Hanover. The square was laid out in the late 1710s and was originally lined with fine terraced houses, occupied by some of London’s most celebrated society figures.

Tell us a little more about the inspiration and design of the fan.

Alex Krenn, Senior Designer, Vivienne Westwood: The design of the fan sees two silhouettes meeting, dancing. Dramatic– well dressed- mysterious, perhaps friends meeting in the afternoon, perhaps glamorous lovers. The two figures are inspired by traditional paper cut-outs and Vivienne Westwood campaigns. The silhouettes are framed on a hand drawing of the square, turned on its head. Vivienne did this in the early years in her Worlds End shop with an image of Piccadilly Circus upside down.

Image courtesy of House of Vivienne Westwood.

This is the first fan to be fully crafted on British soil for over seventy years. Can you elaborate on the process and craftsmanship behind this piece?

The fan was completely handcrafted in the UK, bringing together traditional artisanal skills and craft, brought together by Ian Block from The Worshipful Company of Fan Makers (The Fan Makers Guild), founded in 1709.The Silk Weaving for the fan leaf was created with The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co Ltd, and hand woven in Suffolk. The Wooden Sticks that form the body of the fan were made from a London Plane tree that fell in a storm in St James’ Park, then hand carved and waxed by Malcom Cox, an expert in carving fan sticks.

Pictured, Alex Krenn (Left) and Ian Block (Right). Image courtesy of House of Vivienne Westwood.

The design was hand drawn in 8 layers on a light box - each element to the illustration has its own layer. The design was then screen printed onto silk in Southall by Ivo Textiles Ltd, while the finished silk leaf was pleated by London based Ciment Pleating. The Artist Tom Saunders then completed the painting of the design over the sticks. The charms for the fan were made in silver by the London jeweller, Katy Feldstein. Finally, the fan was then assembled at Ian Block’s workshop in London, A.T.Cronin Workshop Ltd.

Pictured Left, artist Tom Saunders. Images courtesy of House of Vivienne Westwood.

----

The symbol of the fan is synonymous with the Mandarin Oriental. Tell us more about this particular commission and why you chose it.

Susanne Hatje, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s well recognised gold fan logo is the inspiration for every hotel in the Group’s portfolio to create their own unique fan that represents their own location, culture and personality. In the case of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, we wanted to commission a fan that placed us in the heart of this vibrant district – at the crossroads of fashion, art and culture – and we could think of no better fashion house than Vivienne Westwood to create this stunning unique fan.

Image courtesy of the House of Vivienne Westwood.

The Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair opened its doors on 3rd June. Tell us more about this particular MO location and what makes it unique.

Within walking distance of London’s admired fashion houses on Bond Street and the boutiques of Savile Row, as well as auction houses and art galleries, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair will provide a stylish base in one of the city’s most sought-after areas, where culture and fashion collide. Taking advantage of this world-class location, the new hotel will offer guests and MO Fans exclusive access and experiences from high fashion to art, culture, and dining.

Image courtesy of House of Vivienne Westwood.

In London, where the most influential quarters are claimed by Knightsbridge and Mayfair, these two points on the map will now be connected through the Mandarin Oriental brand. For visitors and locals already in love with Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, there is now an additional way to experience Mandarin Oriental, inspired by the vibrancy and creativity of its new neighbourhood.