Introduction

In a world where traditional crafts are increasingly disappearing beneath the pace of modern production, Victoria Ajoku, Master of Arts: Fan Maker & Curator at Fan The Glory With Tori, is taking a different approach. She is bringing an endangered heritage craft back into the spotlight, one handmade fan at a time.

As the UK’s first female person of colour to specialise in, modernise, and diversify the art of professional fan making, Victoria has made it her mission to preserve an important part of British craft heritage while making it more accessible to people from all backgrounds, generations, and abilities.

Her journey is not simply about creating beautiful fans. It is about ensuring that a craft at major risk of disappearing has a future.

The Spark: Preserving an Endangered Craft

Victoria’s entry into professional fan making began with a realisation that immediately grew her work: a deeper purpose. Fan making is a critically endangered craft in the UK, with a serious risk of becoming extinct as a professional practice.

Rather than simply observing its decline, Victoria decided to take action.

She saw an opportunity to revive the heritage art form while simultaneously opening its doors to a much wider audience. Her vision was to make fan making accessible to people regardless of their background, age, ability, or walk of life.

Taking the brave step of establishing herself publicly as an expert through her website, social media presence, and growing professional platform became a defining moment.

What followed was more than the beginning of a business. Victoria describes experiencing a profound sense of peace and happiness from knowing that she was contributing to something sustainable and larger than herself.

Her work represents a sincere effort to modernise the craft without losing its heritage, while encouraging future generations to discover fan making as an art form, a skill, and a potential professional path.

A Career Entering a New Chapter

Victoria describes herself as being somewhere between the beginning and centre chapters of her career. Yet the journey has already produced a defining turning point.

That moment came in December 2023, when she received her first major award: Diversity and Inclusion Champion at The Business Awards UK.

The recognition represented far more than a title.

For Victoria, it marked the beginning of a new season one in which her work was not only being pursued with passion but also recognised and celebrated publicly.

Looking back, the award gave her a new perspective on the struggles and setbacks she had experienced earlier in her career. What once felt like obstacles had ultimately become part of the foundation for everything she was building.

It was confirmation that persistence matters, particularly when pursuing a path that is unconventional.

Taking Fan Making to a Wider Audience

As the UK ambassador for fan making, Victoria has achieved another significant milestone: bringing the craft into a mainstream global view.

Two experiences stand out particularly strongly: her appearances on the much-loved ITV programme Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh and the BBC’s The Repair Shop on the Road.

These opportunities gave Victoria a platform to do something she considers essential to her mission: talk about the craft, share her knowledge, and demonstrate the artistic skill involved in creating handmade fans.

Television exposure also helped challenge assumptions about what fan making represents.

What might initially appear to be a simple or decorative object is, in reality, the result of craftsmanship, patience, passion, creativity, technical ability, and an extraordinary level of concentration.

For Victoria, being able to showcase that process to a broad audience has been both professionally rewarding and important for the preservation of the craft itself.

Keeping a Heritage Craft Relevant

Every traditional craft faces the challenge of remaining relevant in a rapidly changing world.

For Victoria, the motivation to continue comes from two places: relevancy and people.

She understands that preserving a craft does not simply mean keeping old techniques alive. It also means creating opportunities for contemporary audiences to discover, experience, and participate in those traditions.

Her work offers people a fresh entry point into fan making whether through purchasing her creations, learning through workshops, or simply discovering the artistry behind the finished product.

That accessibility is central to her purpose.

Victoria sees her services as a breath of fresh air for a craft that needs renewed vitality and wider participation to survive.

The people who encounter the craft today could ultimately become the people who help carry it forward tomorrow.

Redefining What Success Means

Victoria believes that financial success and wealth creation are valuable aspects of any profession. However, they do not define success on their own.

Her personal definition remains grounded in something deeper: authenticity.

For Victoria, success means remaining true to who you are without compromising your core values simply because you are afraid of being rejected or misunderstood.

She believes that there is power in unapologetically embracing your individuality and finding the people who genuinely connect with your vision.

In her words, success comes when you have the courage to express your boldness and find “your tribe.”

That is where true growth can begin.

She also believes that success exists in moments that may never be publicly recognised the days when you do not feel one hundred percent but choose to keep moving forward with a smile.

For Victoria, those quiet victories matter just as much as open recognition

The Craft Behind the Finished Fan

One of the biggest misconceptions about Victoria’s work is the assumption that creating a handmade hand fan is simple.

People are often surprised when she explains the time, cost, materials, specialist skills, and focus required to produce a finished piece.

Behind every fan is a carefully considered process.

The craft requires patience and precision, along with the ability to work with materials thoughtfully and transform them into an object that is both functional and artistic.

Victoria’s work therefore challenges a broader misconception about traditional crafts: that handmade products are simply decorative alternatives to mass-produced items.

In reality, each handmade fan represents time, expertise, passion, and human attention.

By educating people about what goes into the process, Victoria is helping audiences appreciate not just the final object but the craftsmanship behind it.

The Values That Shape Her Work

For Victoria, one of the most important values in both life and work is kindness.

That begins with learning to extend kindness toward herself.

She recognises the importance of taking appropriate time away from work to rest, relax, and reconnect with the activities she enjoys, including reading and listening to music.

Prayer and meditation also play an important role in her life.

Moments of stillness allow her to step away from the noise of everyday responsibilities, reflect, find peace, and gain what she describes as divine insights.

That quiet space influences more than her personal wellbeing. It also shapes how she relates to others and the decisions she makes within her organisation.

For Victoria, growth is not simply about doing more in vain. It is also about creating enough stillness to understand how she wants to live, lead, and contribute.

Putting People First

Victoria’s philosophy becomes particularly clear when she talks about the future of fan making.

For anyone considering entering the professional field, she believes the first question should not be about money or recognition. It should be about why you are doing it.

If someone wants to build a long-term career in fan making, they must genuinely care about the people they serve.

For Victoria, people come first.

Customers purchase the work. Participants attend workshops. Communities share recommendations. Every part of the craft’s future depends upon human connection.

That is why she believes inclusion must be fundamental.

A heritage craft can only thrive when people feel welcomed to experience it, learn it, appreciate it, and become part of its story.

A Vision for the Future of Fan Making

Victoria Ajoku’s journey represents more than the revival of a traditional craft. It reflects the power of one person to recognise something valuable at risk of disappearing and choose to do something about it.

Through Fan The Glory With Tori, she is preserving craftsmanship while simultaneously reimagining how the art form can exist in the modern world.

Her work bridges heritage and contemporary creativity, bringing an historic practice into new spaces and introducing it to audiences who may never previously have encountered it.

From workshops, handmade creations to television appearances and international recognition, Victoria continues to demonstrate that traditional crafts can remain relevant when they are approached with imagination, inclusivity, and purpose.

Passions are a reminder that preserving heritage does not mean leaving it untouched.

Sometimes, preservation requires reinvention.

A Message for the Next Generation

Victoria’s advice to aspiring craft professionals is rooted in authenticity, intention, and people.

If you want to build a meaningful career, she believes you must enter the field for the right reasons. Passion may begin the journey, but long-term success depends on the relationships you build along the way.

Be willing to welcome people.

Be willing to learn.

Be willing to remain authentic.

And above all, remember that the people you serve are at the heart of your craft.

For Victoria Ajoku, the future of fan making is therefore not simply about producing more fans. It is about creating more opportunities for people to discover the craft, participate in it, appreciate its history, and perhaps become its future custodians.

As she continues her journey as a Master of Arts: Fan Maker & Curator, Victoria is proving that even an endangered craft can find new life when someone is willing to believe in its value and bold enough to give it a future.