From city subways to Southern cookouts to Midwestern music festivals, mini portable fans have rapidly become summer mainstays to mitigate the sweltering heat.
While the gadget (and the weather) may be hot, experts say the reasons for the popularity are not: climate change and fast fashion.
Long popular in humid climates like Asian countries, the mini blasters have proliferated in the West thanks to TikTok and platforms like Amazon, Shein and Temu.
As fast fashion has grown, so too have fast accessories, experts say.
Typically under $10 — the price of a faux leather belt, plastic sunglasses or synthetic jewelry — the battery- or USB-powered personal fan comes in a variety of styles: Users can wear it around their necks, install it in their car and even clip it on their handbag to accompany their prized Labubu.
The rapid growth of affordable accessories at online retailers like Temu and Shein, where fans cost as little as $4, is a selling point particularly for cash-strapped Gen Z buyers, said Sheng Lu, an assistant professor of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware.
“The bigger picture behind the portable fan boom is how the popularity of fast fashion is spreading to accessories today,” Lu said. “It’s this kind of affordability and accessibility that facilitates expansion in the market.”
The price could increase at the end of the month with the end of a tariff exemption for lower-cost goods coming into the U.S.
The global personal fan market is set to surpass $1 billion by 2033, nearly doubling its current value, according to market research firms. In the U.K., consumers bought 7 million portable mini fans in the past year.
Google searches for portable fans have increased steadily over the past decade, peaking in June as intense heat waves blanketed the central and eastern U.S. The states with the highest search interest in the last three months are all in the sweltering South: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, among others.
On TikTok, “portable fans” is the third most used hashtag for videos in the “Tech & Electronics” category, most popular in Malaysia, then in the U.S.
On social media overall, images and videos of the product seem inescapable. And the rise of mini fans is demonstrating how climate might be influencing fast-fashion trends, said Tracie Tung, associate professor of fashion design and merchandising at California State University, Northridge.
“This is not a new invention,” she said. “Now they’re just designed as a fashion piece.”
Some influencers have leveraged the trend to launch their own brands. Remi Bader, who has more than 2 million followers on TikTok, released a stylish new fan last year that clips onto a phone and comes equipped with selfie lights.
