Han Chong On Self-Portrait's Formula For Designing For The Modern Woman

As we write this, the latest Self‐Portrait girl can be said to be Carina Lau, the 59‐year‐old actress who starred in its Lunar New Year campaign this year that paid homage to the Hong Kong TV dramas many – including the label’s creative director Han Chong – had grown up with. Before her, it was Emily Ratajkowski – or whom Han refers to as Emrata – who fronted the brand’s pageant‐inspired Resort 2025 campaign and was suitably dubbed Miss Self‐Portrait. Back in Spring Summer 2024, that title, so to speak, went to Blackpink’s Jisoo, who was the face of the brand that season with her effortlessly ethereal Korean beauty.

One takeaway here? Yeah, the privately owned Self‐Portrait, founded by the Malaysia‐born, London‐based Han in 2013, has achieved some serious commercial success to be able to splash out on such high‐powered celebrity marketing. According to a December 2024 article in Forbes, it has 80 points of retail globally, including several stunning stand‐alone boutiques. The other major observation is the degree of diversity at play here. None of the three names share much in common except for their megawatt influence, mother status and the fact that all wear Han’s accessibly priced designs.

At Club 21 – Self‐Portrait’s exclusive retailer in Singapore – the most expensive item on its e‐store at press time was a maxi‐length bandage‐style gown with lace ruffles and an oversized crystal‐encrusted zip designed by Christopher Kane for the brand as part of a residency programme. Its price: just under $1,300 – what a top alone would cost at many other equally trendy labels. For Spring Summer 2025, the most affordable piece is a slightly sheer (read: sexy) short‐sleeve knit top with a high collar that’s cute worn layered or as is, going for $380, while on the other end of the price spectrum is a $1,120 sharp pinstripe blazer with rhinestones all over that can also be styled as a dress

Han’s formula of fashionable‐made‐friendly would explain why the range of women who wear his creations IRL is equally broad. The lace dresses that first catapulted Self‐Portrait to fame and have since been cleverly adapted to cover multiple styles, colours and patterns are seen as much on prom‐going teens as they are on ladies who lunch, or someone who has got to channel corporate by day, then switch to date – or wedding attendee – mode by night. Today, the list of Self‐Portrait signatures includes cardigans, softly structured jackets with matching mini skirts, and more party dresses. Meanwhile, the Self‐Portrait universe has grown to include bridalwear, boldly glamorous costume jewellery, and occasion‐worthy handbags adorned with what has become another brand icon: a crystal‐embellished metal bow.

In town for a showcase of Self‐Portrait’s Spring Summer 2025 collection at Club 21 at Como Orchard two months ago, the boyish 45‐year‐old Han talks to us about how women shop, how he shopped growing up, and how the next generation ought to shop.

OUT OF CURIOSITY, HOW MANY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE GEN Z?

“I think at least 20 per cent. That said, while my business has become very diverse in terms of territories, I don’t focus too much on the age of my customers. Why? Because of everything that they’re exposed to, even customers who are older are dressing younger – especially in Asia. It’s almost hard to tell how old everyone is. I did a trunk show in Kuala Lumpur before coming to Singapore, for example, and people there all look so youthful. They definitely are taking care of themselves and having fun with dressing up. It’s no longer the case that one needs to dress a certain way because of her age.”

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO A FIRST‐TIME SELF‐PORTRAIT CUSTOMER?

“I’d recommend one of our knitted dresses because it’s very easy to wear and travel with. You don’t have to iron it. The minute you put it on, you get a look that works for several different occasions. You don’t need to accessorise it – just slip on a pair of shoes and you can make a statement, which is very helpful for busy women. Whenever we design, we always make sure every piece serves the wearer in multiple ways and makes her life easier because women have so many roles today.”

WHAT WERE YOUR SHOPPING HABITS LIKE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

“I moved to London in my early 20s and at that time, I preferred shopping over eating. I was a poor student with a limited budget and made extra money working several different part‐time jobs. I never worked at a restaurant, but I was a shampoo boy, because customers in salons tended to give very big tips. I also assisted at photo shoots and did other low‐level jobs in the creative field. And I did all of this because then, how one dressed was a big part of London culture. My friends and I would shop at cheap vintage or second‐hand stores, recreate looks from the runway or in popular culture, and then go out. At that time, we were all sponges, absorbing everything that we saw, and all we wanted was to go out and make sure we were well dressed doing so. It was a very fun time.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DESIGNER PURCHASE EVER?

“A DKNY T‐shirt when I was maybe 16 or 17 years old and still living back home in Penang, Malaysia. It was the 1990s and there was only one store in the local mall that sold international brands. Fashion then was also very driven by American brands such as DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger. I remember this tee to be quite expensive even though it was just plain white with the letters ‘DKNY’ printed across it, but I wanted one because everyone else had one. And since most of the other shops carried local brands, I always felt very inspired entering that boutique.”

MUST NICE THINGS BE EXPENSIVE?

“Not really. A lot of the expensive prices we see in today’s market is due to greed, with some brands marking up their margins super‐high. When I started Self‐Portrait in 2013, a lot of people had the perception that anything made in China – where I still produce my creations – was of poor quality. The truth, though, is that I spent a lot of time in the factories teaching the staff how to produce my pieces. When you put in effort, time and consideration into your designs and how they’re made, you can achieve very high levels of craft without necessarily having to make your prices so expensive. Here at Self‐Portrait, we’re very focused on what we call honest pricing. It’s important to us that we don’t mark up our margins to the point that our pieces are unattainable for most women.”

HOW ELSE DO YOU KEEP YOUR PRICES FRIENDLY?

“I’ve always liked the idea of buying without feeling guilty because if you feel guilty, that takes the fun out of the whole shopping experience. Accessibility is also important to me because I’ve seen so often how a woman becomes a different person when she puts on the right outfit: She develops such confidence – as if she can do anything. I want all women to be able to achieve that easily. To keep prices friendly, we develop a lot of fabrics in‐house. We also have to be clever. I would love to use the most expensive and beautiful fabrics to create my clothes, but that could make the prices of the finished products out of reach. So instead, we might use the expensive fabric only on the front of a dress while the back of the dress is made with a different fabric. Creativity is needed to make sure that overall, an outfit still looks good and is of quality.”

AND YOU STILL MAKE EVERYTHING IN CHINA?

“Yes. A lot of people have a negative impression of this possibly because China produces a lot of things in the world. However, the quality of these things range from low to very high, and the level depends on the training provided to the manufacturers as well as the materials used. The speed at which Chinese factories can work is very beneficial to a brand like Self‐Portrait because to appeal to the lifestyle needs of our customers, it’s necessary to have a constant and thoughtfully curated stream of products ... We are today a global business and different territories have different needs – we have modest wear for our customers in the Middle East, for example. If I want to grow the Asian market, I need to consider the body shape of customers here. I can’t expect one collection to suit every customer because everybody’s different – from one’s proportions and cultural background to the weather in one’s country. This is not about creating a lot of products for the sake of. We need a range of products because we’ve carefully thought about what every one of our customers needs.”

HOW HAVE WOMEN’S SHOPPING NEEDS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

“Customers are a lot more knowledgeable and sophisticated today. They’re also much more comfortable with sharing their points of view and how they feel. There’s a lot of talk about how the luxury sector is being challenged and that people are not shopping. If you ask me though, if a customer can feel that you care about them, can sense an emotional connection with your brand, and feels good in your product, she’ll repeat the shopping experience. The idea of having to queue to enter a luxury boutique today is just not that pleasant. You need to respect your customers. And customers will put their money into brands that appreciate them.”

HOW HAS YOUR BUZZY, CELEBRITY-FRONTED CAMPAIGNS HELPED WITH THIS ASPECT?

“It’s important that my campaigns have a point of view and show what I and the brand stand for because today – more so than before – a lot of customers buy based on their emotions. (For example, Lau, Ratajkowski and Jisoo were all chosen as campaign stars because to Han, they each represent a modern, empowered woman.) By that, I mean they tend to make purchases that fulfil an emotional need. After all, the economy is unstable and the market is overloaded with products. A woman doesn’t need another cardigan in such times, but she would want one if it makes her feel good. So it is necessary that a brand knows how to connect with and appeal to its customers emotionally.”

SHARE SOME ADVICE ON HOW YOUTHS SHOULD SPEND ON FASHION TODAY – HOPEFULLY, IT DOESN’T INCLUDE NOT EATING.

“Ha ha. Don’t worry, because I don’t think it’s politically correct to say that! I did eat when I was a student in London: Every time I had money, I’d buy a whole box of instant noodles. Often when you’re young, eating well is not a priority. As long as you’re not hungry, you’re fine, and it’s only with growing older that one appreciates more foods and becomes more health‐conscious. Of course, it might be different with Gen Zers because they’ve been exposed to a lot more information than older generations, and are more clued into how to eat better. My tip on how youths should spend on fashion: buy what makes you feel happy and what you can have fun with. At this stage of their lives, it’s more important to them to feel fulfilled emotionally than materially.”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.

This article first appeared in the March 2025 Great Fashion Edition of FEMALE