Phone, wallet, keys… fan? On the streets of Paris, editors and buyers have been rushing between shows fan-in-hand, from high-tech cooling devices to tried-and-true paper fans. So are the commuters alongside them, whether navigating the city by foot, train or bike, in an attempt to stay cool amid the 100-plus degree Fahrenheit temps sizzling across Europe.
At Paris Fashion Week Men’s, paper fans were everywhere from show seats to appointments, with brands including Dior, Lemaire, Soshiotsuki, and Yoke offering their own versions to help cool down guests. Attendees carried around their own handheld powered fans or wore cooling devices around their necks to fend off the heat. Now, on the heels of Europe’s second summer heatwave, Americans are gearing up for a sweaty, sticky holiday weekend, with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Looking ahead to next week, editors are gearing up for yet another hot flash during Paris’s couture shows.
Handheld fans date back centuries, and handheld electronic versions have long been popular in Asian countries like China and Japan. But as summers continue to get hotter, global interest in fans of all kinds — but especially portable electronic devices — is on the rise. Searches related to hand and portable fans are up 60% year-on-year on Pinterest. Searches for “cute mini fan” are up 141% versus June 2025, “electric hand fan” searches are up 133%, and “mini fan snap” are up 117%. European wholesalers and retailers are increasing their order volumes for fans more than they are for air conditioning units, per Alibaba, with French retailer orders for handheld fans up 31% year-on-year.
“Consumers will increasingly think of fans in the way they consider water bottles and headphones: as functional but something they want to be proud to carry publicly,” says Emily Gordon-Smith, content director at trends intelligence agency Stylus. “So we’re seeing a move away from pure utility and cheap quick-fix purchases, toward high-performance premium tech where aesthetics and status matter.”
Innovation is ramping up as brands are introducing more complex technology to add a level of luxe — and better cooling systems. Jisulife, which makes one of the handheld fans currently doing the rounds on TikTok, released a higher-tech model earlier this year, the Pro 1 Mini. Appliance company SharkNinja launched its ChillPill portable cooling device last year, which is a three-in-one fan, mist, and InstaChill personal cooling system. This year, Dyson launched its HushJet Mini Cool, which serves a similar purpose; it launched in the US in April, and sold out in 24 hours, says Dyson design engineer Emily Blance. The UK launch that followed sold out in two hours, while queues formed outside the Paris store to pick one up. “The response has been a strong validation of what we set out to achieve: delivering effective cooling in a highly portable form factor that fits seamlessly into everyday life,” she says, noting Dyson’s plans to restock and introduce new colors in the coming weeks.
Beauty and fashion retailers are beginning to carry fans as a sort of wellness accessory, though it’s still a nascent category. Sephora and Ulta both began stocking the SharkNinja ChillPill earlier this year (in the shade Iced Latte at Sephora, and pink and purple at Ulta), retailing at $149.99, while Ulta also carries a simpler Zadaro fan at $21.99 via its third-party marketplace. Bloomingdale’s carried the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool, though it’s now sold out online. Retailers like Revolve and Harrods carry luxe versions of the paper fan, with Revolve selling a raffia iteration by Eva Ventai for $315; Harrods currently has a banana motif fan for sale for $185 by Pubumésu.
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