Can reach 6,000 euros: Heatwave brings the mythical accessory back into fashion
The extreme heatwave that has hit Spain has made the traditional folding fan, the abanico, an essential accessory across the country — from crowded subway cars to sun-drenched plazas. Both women and men are now embracing the accessory, which originated in the 15th and 16th centuries, and whose price starts at 5 euros and can go much higher.
In crowded subway cars and sun-drenched plazas, an old accessory has become an inseparable part of daily life in Spain this past summer, thanks to the extreme heatwave that has hit the country. It is the traditional Spanish folding fan, the abanico — an accessory small enough to fit into a handbag, which opens with a single rotating motion into a semicircle and produces an especially strong breeze with a light flick of the wrist.
As successive heatwaves in Western Europe this summer pushed temperatures to unbearable levels, the accessory became essential and was adopted by both young and old, in Spain and beyond. Women — and an increasing number of men — open them on public transport, at concerts, and at music festivals. In July, rainbow-colored fans were seen everywhere at the boisterous Pride parade celebrations in Madrid.
Near the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, 20-year-old Ana Pelio described how she uses a paper fan she received as a gift at a festival in Valencia to block the sun, and said she carries it with her regularly in the summer. 53-year-old David Gonzalez, who held a fan in shades of pink, purple, and red, also noted that at first he felt a bit uncomfortable using an accessory identified primarily with women, but admitted that it is useful and improves his mood.
Global roots
Historians believe that the folding fan reached Europe through Portuguese maritime trade with Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries. Already in the mid-17th century, the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez painted his mysterious work "The Lady with the Fan," in which a woman — apparently a Frenchwoman — is seen holding a delicate wooden fan. With the spread of fashion in European courts, Spain developed its own taste and industry: Madrid became a major production center, and by the 18th century, Valencia became the fan production capital of Spain.
Mary Kitson, a curatorial consultant at the Fan Museum in London, noted that during the 18th century, the printing industry flourished, which allowed for the production of fan "leaves" at a relatively low cost. By the 19th century, the fan was so deeply rooted in Spanish aristocratic society that women used it to subtly express flirtation, interest, or disagreement, in a method known as the "language of the fan."
From Spain, the fan also moved to Latin America, and as early as the 19th century, flamenco dancers began using it as an expressive accessory, influenced by Cuban singing and dance styles like the guajira. Over time, the affinity between the fan and flamenco made it a distinct Spanish symbol. Carmen Torres, a 44-year-old flamenco dancer from southern Spain, described the fan as a perfect element that evokes the heavy heat and humidity of Cuba, while simultaneously allowing her to enhance the seductive and coquettish quality of the dance.
From century-old shops to souvenir stalls
For over 150 years, Javier Yarrandi's family has been selling fans at the wood-paneled "Casa de Diego" shop in Madrid. According to him, the business "lives off the heat" — the fans in the shop are made in Spain and range from simple wooden models to handcrafted items made of mother-of-pearl with complex floral patterns. The starting price is about 30 euros, some range between 200 and 500 euros, and particularly luxurious items reach 6,000 euros, with the price depending on the materials and, above all, the quality of the work.
As Madrid has become a sought-after tourist destination, foreign tourists also enthusiastically purchase the fans in the shop, which, according to Yarrandi, are more reliable than electric portable fans. "Battery-operated items eventually run out, and always at the most inconvenient moment," he said with a smile, adding that heatwaves are definitely good for business.
For less demanding customers, printed plastic fans are sold at souvenir stalls for a few euros, and according to a saleswoman at a stall near Yarrandi's shop, her sales were also strong this summer. Outside a huge bullring in Madrid, Juani Duran sells wooden fans with traditional floral decorations for five euros each. Since bullfights take place in open stadiums and spectators tend to dress elegantly to attend them, the elegant fan has become a particularly suitable accessory. According to her, one can find a fan in almost every woman's pocket — and sometimes in men's pockets as well. She admitted that the quality of the fans she sells is not the highest, but noted that "they will get you through the summer."
