VIVIENNE WESTWOOD partners up with Mandarin Oriental to collaborate on a handcrafted fan in celebration of the elegant Mayfair Hanover Square.
The central London district is home to both the new Mandarin Oriental as well as the Vivienne Westwood boutique at 44 Conduit Street.
A shared appreciation for the square brought the two establishments together in collaboration to create an item symbolic of the elegance innate to the historic area and the individuality intrinsic to the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Vivienne Westwood x Mandarin Oriental
“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.” – Alex Krenn, Senior Designer, Vivienne Westwood
Named after George I, the Elector of Hanover, the fan was crafted in the UK and is the result of artisanal skill and craftsmanship brought to life by Ian Block from The Worshipful Company of Fan Makers, with Silk Weaving from The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co Ltd, which was hand-woven in Suffolk.
Vivienne Westwood x Mandarin Oriental
As for the Wooden Sticks structuring the fan’s body, the wood derived from a London Plane tree that collapsed during a storm in the famous St James’ Park, which once was sourced was then carved and waxed by Malcolm Cox.
The illustration across the leaf was hand drawn in eight layers using a light box, which was then screen printed onto silk by Ivo Textiles Ltd and pleated by Ciment Pleating.
For the finishing touches, Tom Saunders painted the design prominent on the sticks with the fan’s charms, created by London jeweller Katy Feldstein. The final assemblage took place at Ian Block’s workspace, A.T.Cronin Workshop Ltd.
The collaboration will also see a second handcrafted fan which will be auctioned by The Auction Collective to raise money for the organisation War Child, a charity working toward aiding children affected by warfare.
“Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s well-recognised gold fan logo is the inspiration for every hotel in the Group’s portfolio to create their 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,” — Susanne Hatje, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London.
by Nicole Pereira