Introduction
In the mid-19th century, hand-fan making was a booming European industry, with major hubs in England, France, Italy, and Spain. However, as 20th-century fashions shifted and traditional crafts suffered at the hands of mass production, countless historic fan houses closed.
The art of hand-fan making became critically endangered.
Valencia was the only city that fiercely preserved this heritage, keeping the craft alive through small, family-run workshops.
Today, these artisans are crucial to the global supply of authentic, high-quality hand-fans.
Unlike the uniformity and high quantities demanded by mass production, working with Valencian artisans allows us to create small, unique, and extraordinary collections using the finest materials.
It gives our hand-fans a look, feel, and soul that a machine simply cannot replicate.
Inside the workshop - The production process
Please enjoy these behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creation of our Lulu Guinness hand-fans.
It is incredible to think these sleek, beautiful pieces all start as a humble block of wood.
To begin, the wood is dried in a furnace and cut into thin laminas. These must rest in towers for up to eight weeks to ensure they flatten completely and won't warp, making them ready for cutting, shaping, and polishing.
While the Heatwave, Deck of Cards, and Striped hand-fans all followed traditional methods - which you can see in The Making of a Hand-Fan in 7 Steps - the unique Lulu Guinness collection required some specialised steps.
We pick up their journey at the polishing, painting, and mounting stages.
Polishing
Using a variety of specialised machinery, the sticks are carefully cut to shape. They are then meticulously polished to give them a silky-smooth finish that looks and feels wonderful to hold.
Preparing to Paint
There are several ways to paint a hand-fan, but we use the most superior method. Each
individual stick is separated with a clip and painted on both sides, then left to dry completely flat to avoid any dripping or imperfections.
Painting
By painting each set individually with a precision spray gun, we ensure the smoothest, most flawless finish possible.
Reassembling the Sticks: A Perfect Match
Once each individual stick is shaped and polished, it is numbered to form a complete, matching set.
Because they are meticulously hand-polished, every stick takes on its own subtly unique
shape. To ensure a flawless fit during the final fabric mounting process, the sticks must be kept strictly within their designated sets, carefully reassembled and pinned together after the painting stage.
Mounting the Fabric: The Art of the Fold
This is where the magic truly comes together. To give the fabric its perfect concertina shape, our artisan uses a variety of traditional molds tailored to the specific size of each fan. One to three fabrics are placed into the mould at a time, this crisps the pleats, and this folded material is ready to meet the woodwork.
The gluing process is incredibly fiddly, though she makes it look effortless. First, she precisely trims one end of the fabric before gluing it down to the sticks. Once everything is secured, she meticulously trims the excess fabric from the top edge for a clean finish. After letting the glue set, the fan can finally be opened for its very first flutter!
Inside the production of the Lulu Guinness x Khu Khu lip hand-fan
Introduction
In the mid-19th century, hand-fan making was a booming European industry, with major hubs in England, France, Italy, and Spain. However, as 20th-century fashions shifted and traditional crafts suffered at the hands of mass production, countless historic fan houses closed.
The art of hand-fan making became critically endangered.
Valencia was the only city that fiercely preserved this heritage, keeping the craft alive through small, family-run workshops.
Today, these artisans are crucial to the global supply of authentic, high-quality hand-fans.
Unlike the uniformity and high quantities demanded by mass production, working with Valencian artisans allows us to create small, unique, and extraordinary collections using the finest materials.
It gives our hand-fans a look, feel, and soul that a machine simply cannot replicate.
Inside the workshop - The production process
Please enjoy these behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creation of our Lulu Guinness hand-fans.
It is incredible to think these sleek, beautiful pieces all start as a humble block of wood.
To begin, the wood is dried in a furnace and cut into thin laminas. These must rest in towers for up to eight weeks to ensure they flatten completely and won't warp, making them ready for cutting, shaping, and polishing.
While the Heatwave, Deck of Cards, and Striped hand-fans all followed traditional methods - which you can see in The Making of a Hand-Fan in 7 Steps - the unique Lulu Guinness collection required some specialised steps.
We pick up their journey at the polishing, painting, and mounting stages.
Polishing
Using a variety of specialised machinery, the sticks are carefully cut to shape. They are then meticulously polished to give them a silky-smooth finish that looks and feels wonderful to hold.
Preparing to Paint
There are several ways to paint a hand-fan, but we use the most superior method. Each
individual stick is separated with a clip and painted on both sides, then left to dry completely flat to avoid any dripping or imperfections.
Painting
By painting each set individually with a precision spray gun, we ensure the smoothest, most flawless finish possible.
Reassembling the Sticks: A Perfect Match
Once each individual stick is shaped and polished, it is numbered to form a complete, matching set.
Because they are meticulously hand-polished, every stick takes on its own subtly unique
shape. To ensure a flawless fit during the final fabric mounting process, the sticks must be kept strictly within their designated sets, carefully reassembled and pinned together after the painting stage.
Mounting the Fabric: The Art of the Fold
This is where the magic truly comes together. To give the fabric its perfect concertina shape, our artisan uses a variety of traditional molds tailored to the specific size of each fan. One to three fabrics are placed into the mould at a time, this crisps the pleats, and this folded material is ready to meet the woodwork.
The gluing process is incredibly fiddly, though she makes it look effortless. First, she precisely trims one end of the fabric before gluing it down to the sticks. Once everything is secured, she meticulously trims the excess fabric from the top edge for a clean finish. After letting the glue set, the fan can finally be opened for its very first flutter!