The Art Of Self-Portrait With Han Chong

Contemporary womenswear brand Self-Portrait has unveiled its Lunar New Year campaign—a cinematic series that lovingly pays homage to Hong Kong TV dramas.

Shot by photographer Feng Li, it is a celebration of the Year of the Snake that captures intimate glimpses of festive life in Hong Kong, especially culinary culture. According to Han Chong, founder and creative director of Self-Portrait, these shows were more than just entertainment; their stories enriched simple meals, like “TV gravy mixed with rice” (电 视汁捞饭).

“I really wanted to celebrate the heyday of Hong Kong and Asian culture. My grandparents are from China and I grew up with these Hong Kong TV series and movies. So it’s a perfect memory for me,” says a busy Chong, who has just landed in Scotland from the Hong Kong campaign shoot. A capsule collection also launches in stores globally and online.

I caught up with him at The Fife Arm’s Festival of Fashion in Braemar, where he shared the stage with Scottish designer Christopher Kane, the first guest of his newly launched residency program: a “passion project” that invites creatives into his London headquarters.

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Chong studied Fashion Design at London’s Central Saint Martins. In 2013, he launched Self-Portrait which, unlike its contemporaries, had an intentionally accessible price point. This was due to having only “very little capital to play with in the beginning.” Necessity is the mother of invention, and the resulting edit meant that every piece had a purpose—ultimately, to build an easily recognizable brand.

The strategy paid off. While it doesn’t give sales figures, the brand now retails from 80 stores worldwide with the lion’s share in Asia, especially mainland China. Over the decade, this commerciality has powered an expansion from the label’s core of elevated partywear into handbags, jewelry, and kidswear. It’s been seen on a long list of glitzy stars from top-tier actresses like Nicole Kidman to models such as Gigi Hadid; even royalty wear it (Kate Middleton and Queen Letizia of Spain).

In 2021, Chong asserted his ambitions as a major fashion player by acquiring eveningwear brand Roland Mouret, rescuing it from administration. Even more surprisingly, September’s residency announcement revived the recently shuttered Christopher Kane—a loss that had been sorely felt by the industry. Inspired by his graduate show, Kane’s capsule debuted in November to rave reviews.

Before he went on stage with Kane, Chong explained the rationale behind the move: “I wanted to do something slightly more outside the box. I’ve loved Christopher’s work since the beginning and decided to offer his design to my audience.” And, after 10 years in business, his brand has the capacity and infrastructure to do this. With labels around him struggling due to the aftermath of the pandemic and dampened consumer sentiment, Chong is bucking the trend.

This is down, in part at least, to being highly attuned to and active in the Asia market. Korean singer Jisoo was announced as the face of the brand this year, while November saw a store opening in Bangkok which hosted a who’s who of high-profile influencers in the region.

China accounts for nearly a third of sales. After a year of due diligence, the company signed a joint venture in 2019 with the Shenzhen-based Ellassay Group. The following year, it went on to open the first store in Beijing’s SKP as the pandemic forced the country’s pending splurge. Chong admits he got “so lucky” with the timing, and 10 more doors followed within months. There are now 65 across the mainland, where actress Zhao Liying (who has over 90 million Weibo fans) has been promoted to global brand ambassador.

But it’s been hard work with considerable face time, especially during the early days. A focus on merchandising, which is localized to the weather, sizing, and trends, as well as a loyalty program that “treats VIPS like luxury clients”—these are demanding, ongoing commitments.

The brand’s focus is highly specialised, agrees Lu Bai, the founder of boutique agency B-mint. She mentions “well-suited sizing” that leans small and a focus on sales in Southern China with relatively warmer weather. Another is the loyalty program. “This is a highlight. It offers perks like turning points into cash, exclusive gifts for top spenders, birthday flowers, and little items such as small bags,” she continues. The more you shop, the more you benefit.

2025’s Lunar New Year sees Chong reunite with Hong Kong’s icon Lau, an older actress who underlines Chong’s “inclusive demographic.” Alvin Goh, a creative strategist for several international brands, suggests that it’s this sort of diversity that confirms Self-Portrait’s Midas touch: “As a celebrity image director working for almost 30 years, I think brands should really wake up and stop filtering out ‘middle-age’ celebrities.” It’s an issue he faces when pitching to brands. “Most of the luxury brands in China only feature the young “fresh meat” because they bring traffic. But they forget [to ask], who are the ones swiping the cards? Brands should identify which celebrities suit their DNA instead of dropping them because they are not ‘young’ enough,” Goh continues.

Ageism clearly isn’t an issue for Self-Portrait and overall, the outlook for the brand is promising. Because its clients are more diverse in terms of demographic, it has a wider audience compared to, say, luxury brands. Consumers are cutting back in general but as he says, he’s “benefiting.” Why? Well, Chong makes it sound easy: “The relationship is very special. A lot of my consumers trust their sales person so you need to know the market share you have and how to make sure they stay with you. We focus on this a lot.”

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