Despite its significant history and prime position, tucked away behind Oxford Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair, Hanover Square has remained rather inconspicuous. That might soon be about to change, as Hanover Square becomes the new address for one of London’s most anticipated hotel openings, the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair.
Ahead of the hotel’s official opening on June 3, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair has unveiled its official fan, created in collaboration with the London-based designer, the House of Vivienne Westwood.
Through a shared love of the historic area – the Vivienne Westwood boutique sits a mere few steps away – the handcrafted fan illustrates the elegant Hanover Square and serves as a signature emblem to reflect the individuality of the new Mandarin Oriental hotel.
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“Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s well-recognized 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,” explains Susanne Hatje, general manager of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London.
“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.”
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Two fans have been created during the special collaboration: one fan will remain on permanent display at the new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, while a second version has been created to be auctioned as part of The Vivienne Foundation’s ‘Stop War’ campaign. The sale of the fan, which has an estimated price listed as £10,000–15,000 (approx. $12,725–19,000), will raise funds for War Child’s Children’s Emergency Fund, which supports children involved in conflict or crisis.
“The design of the fan sees two silhouettes meeting, dancing,” explains Vivienne Westwood’s senior designer, Alex Krenn. “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.”
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The fan was completely handcrafted in the UK, brought together by Ian Block from The Worshipful Company of Fan Makers. The fan’s silk weaving was created with The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co and hand woven in Suffolk, meanwhile, the wooden sticks that form the body were made from a London plane tree that fell in a storm in St James’ Park.
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The design was hand drawn in eight layers on a light box, with each element of the illustration having its own layer. The design was then screen printed onto silk in Southall by Ivo Textiles, while the finished silk leaf was pleated by London-based Ciment Pleating. Artist Tom Saunders then completed the painting of the design over the sticks, before the fan was adorned with silver charms, made by London jeweler Katy Feldstein.
Vivienne Westwood X Mandarin Oriental For War Child auction is live from May 23 until June 28, 2024.
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