Vivienne Westwood x Mandarin Oriental, The Mayfair Fan

Designed by the house of Vivienne Westwood, this collectors’ handcrafted fan was commissioned by Mandarin Oriental Mayfair to illustrate the historic Hanover Square, one of London’s finest and oldest squares. 

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. Taking this as inspiration, the design sees two ­silhouettes meeting,  framed on a hand drawing of the square, turned on its head. The two figures are inspired by traditional paper cut-outs and Vivienne Westwood campaigns.

Designed with respect to the traditional craft of fan making, two unique fans were created, 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. The design was hand drawn by Westwood’s senior designer, Alex Krenn, 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 fans were assembled at Ian Block’s workshop in London, A.T.Cronin Workshop Ltd. 

As part of this special collaboration, the first of the unique handcrafted fans was created especially for auction, with the hope of raising funds for War Child, the only specialist charity for children affected by conflict, the other fan is framed and on permanent display in the hotel. This is the first fan to be fully crafted on British soil for over seventy years.

About Vivienne Westwood

With a design record spanning over forty years, Vivienne Westwood, the iconic British brand is recognised as one of the most influential fashion houses in the world today.

Vivienne Westwood is one of the last independent global fashion companies in the international fashion arena. At times thought provoking and always avant-garde, this brand is about more than producing clothes and accessories - it captures the imagination, champions culture, and generates positive action.  

About Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. Having grown from its Asian roots into a global brand, the Group now operates 40 hotels and 12 residences in 26 countries and territories, with each property reflecting the Group’s oriental heritage, local culture and unique design. Mandarin Oriental has a strong pipeline of hotels and residences under development and is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group. The Group’s well recognised gold fan logo is the inspiration for every hotel to create their own unique fan that represents their own location, culture and personality.

About War Child

War Child UK is driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.  

Using 30 years of experience and proven methodologies, War Child aims to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stays long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery.  War Child works with local communities and governments to help protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for a safer, brighter future. Because one child caught up in conflict is one child too many.  

War Child understands children’s needs, respects and stands up for their rights, and puts them at the centre of everything it does. War Child boldly campaigns on the root causes of conflict and helps to amplify children’s voices, so that it can advocate for change on the issues that matter to them.  

Together with its partners, War Child delivers vital work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.  

Every day, its local teams are in communities and refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn, and access psychological support. War Child also specialises in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations as they happen, offering immediate and critical aid impartially to keep children safe and help them through their trauma. 

War Child UK is a member of the War Child Alliance, a global foundation made up of five fundraising offices and 14 programme offices.