It takes over 60 steps to make a fan. From selecting bamboo in the forest, splitting it into thin ribs, silk-screen printing the fabric, hand-sewing, folding, and the many steps in between — the hand fan is as humble as it is extraordinary.

Our fans are made in partnership with an award-winning, sixth-generation fan maker in Anhui — China's bamboo capital, where bamboo crafts from baskets to fans have been woven into daily life for centuries.

The owner learned the craft as a child, skipping high school to work with his father to transform the fan-making village into the company it is now. Today, most of his makers have been with the company for over twenty years — the youngest in their forties — each one a master of their part of the process, from growing bamboo to the final fold.

It is a rare privilege to work with someone who has devoted his life to a craft, continuing to hone it with quiet dedication. That commitment is present in every fan.

When asked about the future, the owner estimates the fan industry, along with most traditional bamboo crafts, has perhaps ten years left. Younger generations are not interested in craft as a profession or life in the village.

At Otelier, we believe beautiful things are worth fighting for. By bringing fresh design to these crafts, we hope to draw new attention to what is at stake — and to the hands that still know how to make them.