This flat pack folding fan solves your winter storage and summer heat woes!

Summertime is here. In fact, going by the raging heatwaves in the northern USA and Canada, this year is set to shatter all temperature records. Living in such sweltering heat, and as someone who starts sneezing after spending an hour in Air Conditioning, a fan is my go-to support system! But what do we do when the summers are over? That is the solution Jinsu Du and Kitae have created for us.

Meet the folding fan, a portable fan that can be folded and stored when not in use. The wireless aspect of the design is a big win in my favor – I hate carrying cables or have them dangling around my space. In fact, the portability of the design makes it perfect for carrying it outside the home, even for camping. The designers paid special attention to the foldability of the design – right from the fans stand to the fan head, you can adjust the fan as you need. This means that, for once, you won’t be adjusting yourself to the fan, the fan will follow you. The designers explain, “We had to contemplate a new type of design in order to effectively capture the structure. The shape, which is largely composed of three parts, has a simple and unique feel. The total color was designed in three colors, but initially white and yellow were released first.”

Sony’s Reon 2 created waves given its personal nature – which kind of makes and is sure to resolve all the thermostat fights. This folding fan is a personal must-have so I can stay as cool as I need to be without suffering from either frozen fingers or overzealous sweating. All the cooling comfort I need without any remote control tussles, this appliance is truly a summer essential!

Designer: Jinsu Du, Jimmy Sungho Park, and Sujin Kim for BOUD

This electric fly swatter takes a neat cue from the portable Folding Fan!

Inspiration can come from unusual places, and when it does, it can help reinvent a product in a new kind of way. Take for instance the FOLD, an electric fly-swatter that instead of being a rigid racquet, models itself on the folding fan. The FOLD’s unique design allows it to fold down into the size of a baton that you can carry around with you (or even slip right into your duffle bag when you go camping or on an outdoor trip). When the cretins come a-knockin’, the FOLD is ready for swattin’! The two-part handle opens up and the swatter’s individual electric mesh surfaces align to turn into a racquet-shaped device that instantly zaps all sorts of bugs. Just switch the FOLD on and channel your inner Serena Williams!

The Fold’s battery pack lies inside its slim, two-part handle. A neat USB-C slot on the bottom lets you charge your swatter (in open or closed condition), so that you can keep the bugs away at any time of the day!

Designer: Park Sang-Gun for DesignerDot Academy