The making of Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge Collection—a series of four ultra-luxurious, glam-forward hand-fans designed to let you carry a piece of the world's most famous cabaret wherever you go. Featuring soft fluttery curves and wild whirling prints, these hand-fans celebrate all things Moulin, an emblem of decadence and fun for over a century. Because darling, yes you can-can.

The Spark: Why the Moulin Rouge?

We are always drawn to print ideas that uniquely suit the kinetic, arc-shaped canvas of the hand-fan. I’d love to say the spark happened on a romantic trip to Paris while strolling through Montmartre, but in reality, it came from spending hours in the studio working with chiffon frills.

I suddenly realised how perfectly the classic half-circle of an open hand-fan could house half of a windmill’s blades. That was it. The connection was made, and we decided to dedicate a collection to capturing this icon.

Khu Khu Moulin Rouge Hand-fan Collection - Fantastique hand-fans that you can-can.

Research and Mood

To truly honour the theatre and the mystique surrounding it, we had to go back to the beginning. We read about the history of the Moulin Rouge and the Belle Époque and poured over images of Paris at the turn of the century, historical photographs, and archival imagery from the cabaret's history.

The Windmill and its Lights

Finding the right way to represent the clean lines of the moulin took careful experimentation. We mounted each potential version with paper first, because designing for a textile hand-fan comes with unique structural challenges. No two mounts are exactly the same, and the fabric can shift up to 5mm in any direction during the process. This unpredictability affects exactly where the print hits the cutting room floor, and we didn't want the lines or spots to be cut off in the wrong place. We had to constantly adapt the composition to find what worked best structurally.

I also wanted to capture the lights that outline the real windmill sails at night. The Moulin Rouge was the first electrified building in Paris, so the lights are a big deal! After trying a variety of layouts, we settled on a cross-hatch pattern. It proved to be the most effective way to give an impression of twinkling lights in motion as you wave the hand-fan.

The Screen-Printing Challenge

Once the design was finalised, we had to figure out how to print it. I chose hand-screen printing over a quick digital print because the finish is superior - the colours are more intense, and the ink has a tactile "thickness" that beautifully matches the luxury of the chiffon frill.

However, hand-screening requires immense experimentation. To capture the look of the original windmill, we used a half-tone technique to create contrast between the diagonal lines of the blades and the horizontal lines in the background, giving the design depth.

Getting the balance right was a razor-thin line: too much half-tone and the background lines vanished completely; too little, and we lost all contrast. It took three attempts on the acetate sheets to nail the perfect exposure, but the depth we achieved was well worth the wait.

The Palette

Once the composition and windmill lines were in place, we stepped inside the theatre doors for colour inspiration. Four distinct palettes naturally stood out as the mood boards progressed. To match the opulence of the Belle Époque, these colours seemed to align perfectly with precious gemstones, each shade reflecting a piece of the cabaret's history and hedonistic spirit:

Khu Khu Moulin d'Or Hand-fan, from the Moulin Rouge Hand-fan Collection - Fantastique hand-fans that you can-can.

Gold

Champagne & Pearls

This period was filled with golden champagnes, glistening diamonds and pearls. We wanted the glowing spots on the blades to mimic a string of pearls, honoring the heavily embellished costumes of the performers, where every detail was designed to catch the stage lights

Khu Khu Rouge hand-fan, part of the Moulin Rouge Hand-fan Collection - Fantastique hand-fans that you can-can.

Red

Rubies & Onyx

We had to feature the classic combination of deep crimson and midnight black. It is the colour of the theatre itself - the heavy velvet curtains parting, the plush seating, and the ultimate symbol of the drama backstage

Khu Khu Bleu hand-fan, part of the Moulin Rouge Hand-fan Collection - Fantastique hand-fans that you can-can.

Blue

Sapphires & the Parisian Sky

We looked out of the theatre windows and up at the sky to bring in a deep sapphire. It represents the electric blue of Paris at night, a sky full of twinkling stars, and that specific anticipation of an evening out

Khu Khu Vert hand-fan, part of the Moulin Rouge Hand-fan Collection - Fantastique hand-fans that you can-can.

Green

Emeralds & the Green Fairy

This rich shade nods to the deep green velvet seats found in historic theatres, but it is also the colour of absinthe poured at the bar, representing the bohemian spirit and indulgence of the era.

Having these concepts in mind is one thing, but pinning down the exact physical hues is entirely different.

Screen printing requires absolute precision. Armed with a stack of fabric swatches and paper cutouts, I went to see Jussi and his team at the print studio, where we spent hours mixing inks by hand until the shades on the fabric perfectly matched the vision in my head.

The Dance, the Performers & the Can-Can

Khu Khu Il Parasole Hand-fan Collection - Simply frilling hand-fans to celebrate La Dolce Vita

Finally, we needed to bring the theatre to life by representing the performers and the movement of the dance itself.

We were completely captivated by the wild energy of the can-can. To capture the texture of those famous, frothy petticoats in mid-air, we anchored the entire collection with our defining feature: the chiffon frill.

Achieving this requires a specific technical approach. We laser-cut the edge of the hand-fan to create a scalloped silhouette. Then the chiffon frill is sewn along this curve to create an accessory that genuinely dances and swirls with every gesture. When you flick it open, the fluid motion perfectly mimics the frenetic, synchronized swirling of the dancers on the stage.