Self-Definition

As the founder and creative director of Self-Portrait, he has cemented his position as a visionary in the global fashion industry. Now, he is taking on a new challenge by acquiring the legendary womenswear brand Roland Mouret. Han Chong opens up about the journey to this moment and his aspirations for this exciting new chapter

- Zue Wei Leong

Han Chong does not waste time. The day before his photo shoot and interview with Tatler, the Malaysian designer hosted four separate sessions to personally introduce Self-Portrait’s pre-fall 2023 collection to his Malaysian clientele. Kuala Lumpur was the penultimate stop of his short Asia tour, having completed his rounds in Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai. His next stop was Singapore, heading there on the day of our shoot. Chong’s busy schedule is meticulously pre-planned months, or even a year, in advance, but this is his normal; he has always worked at a breakneck pace.

In 2013, the Penang-born, London-based designer launched his womenswear label Self-Portrait with a collection of reasonably priced guipere lace dresses. Within a year, the brand’s signature designs were stocked in Selfridges, the prestigious British department store. Within five years, SelfPortrait had opened its first flagship store, on Albemarle Street in London; become the highlight of the New York Fashion Week circuit; and garnered endorsements from some of the world’s most high-profile names, including Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton.

“In the early days of Self-Portrait, I was still figuring things out on my own but I knew I had to make the most of any opportunity. I had to scale up, build my team and set up the right infrastructure very quickly to meet the demand,” Chong recalls with a laugh.

Against the odds, Self-Portrait graduated from being an emerging brand to an established label with commercial success in two of the world’s most competitive fashion markets. But just as it was beginning its global domination, the pandemic brought the entire fashion industry to a grinding halt.