Lifestyle
This Penang-born Designer Counts Beyoncé, Blackpink, and Kate Middleton as His Clients
While thinking of internationally renowned luxury fashion houses founded by Malaysians, Jimmy Choo immediately springs to mind. However, contemporary luxury brand founded by Han Chong, who similarly hails from Penang has also made a splash in the fashion world, and on top of that, it has a more affordable price point to boot. His brand is now known for its figure-flattering and feminine designs with a focus on lace and detailed tailoring.
43-year-old Han Chong grew up in Sungai Ara neighbourhood and having an aunt as a local artist allowed him to view the world through an artistic viewpoint. He studied Art in Penang and worked for a local designer in KL for several years before leaving at age 22 for London.
There, he graduated with a degree in Womenswear Design from Central Saint Martins, a tertiary art school and went on to start to co-found the now defunct fashion label Three Floor with his partner Yvonne Hoang in 2011.
To be able to fully exercise creative control, he left two years later to launch Self-Portrait in 2013, which started off with just him and an intern, finding it hard to even procure the services of a factory that would churn out his detailed designs.
He was unwavering in his philosophy ––– that fashion with an emphasis on design and quality should be accessible to all, and not just for the privileged few, keeping his price points contemporary that range in hundreds of pounds, rather than the thousands that other luxury labels are known for.
Just a year later, Selfridges, one of the UK’s most prestigious department stores, allowed him to debut his fashion collection, which sold out in the store in three days. Self-Portrait now has more than 375 stockists –– retailers that stocks goods of a particular type for sale –– at over 70 countries.
In 2016, the British Fashion council nominated Self-Portrait for the British Emerging Talent Award. Then in 2018, Chong announced that he would support MA Fashion students at Central Saint Martins through a five-year scholarship fund
In the same year, Self-Portrait also opened its first flagship store on Albemarle Street in London which has expanded to Bangkok, Taipei, Beijing, and Shanghai with China now being the brand’s strongest market.
Although other brands struggled to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic, Self-Portrait’s sales in 2022 continued to increase, and sales are currently up 350% from 2022.
One such brand is another luxury label, Roland Mouret that Han Chong acquired last year that will be included under the umbrella of ‘SP Collection’, his newly-formed holding company.
Now, Self-Portrait boasts a long list of celebrity clients donning their pieces, from Hollywood big names such Beyoncé and Selena Gomez to K-pop superstars Blackpink’s Lisa and Jisoo, and even royalty such as Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. He is also regularly mentioned and featured on fashion magazines such as Vogue.
What a way to make Malaysia proud!
Image source: @mrselfportrait, Splash News, thefashionistastories.com, vogue.co.uk, facebook.com/theselfportrait