Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 10
Folding Hand Fans Return as £3.50 Heatwave Accessory at Paris Couture Week
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 10

Folding Hand Fans Return as £3.50 Heatwave Accessory at Paris Couture Week

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 10

Summary

  • Folding hand fans have emerged as a fashionable cooling option in sustained hot weather, showing up from crowded commutes and meetings to front rows at Paris couture week.
  • The appeal is partly a backlash against portable electric fans, which are selling out but still consume energy, run out of battery and are often made from plastic.
  • At the low end, foldable hand fans can cost as little as £3.50, giving buyers a cheap, non-electronic alternative that does not need charging.
  • Their revival also leans on style and history: the concertina-fold design is being recast not just as practical heat relief but as a chic fashion accessory.

Insights

Beyond being chic, can the simple hand fan truly challenge the environmental cost of our high-tech cooling gadgets?
As new fans exceed $150 with AI features, is effective personal cooling becoming an exclusive luxury item?
With portable fan battery fires on the rise, are consumers unknowingly bringing a fire hazard into their homes?