Fashion

Get to know celebrity-favourite fashion label Self-Portrait (and its Malaysian founder Han Chong)

10.09.2020

By Joan Kong

Get to know celebrity-favourite fashion label Self-Portrait (and its Malaysian founder Han Chong)

Fact: It’s impossible to mention celebrities’ favourite fashion brands without thinking of London-based label Self-Portrait. Founded by Malaysian designer Han Chong in 2013, the brand’s accessible price point—coupled with great designs and quality—has led to its meteoric rise to success. And while most of us are familiar with the brand’s signature asymmetrical necklines and alluring lace dresses, the brand has expanded its offerings into swimwear, eyewear, and footwear in recent years, which have proven to be equally well-loved.

Want to get to know more about the contemporary label? Below, six things to know about Self-Portrait that might just make you love the brand even more:

 Founder and creative director, Han Chong, is from Penang, Malaysia

Han Chong was born and raised in Penang, and he grew up in the Sungai Ara neighbourhood. After working for a local designer for a few years, he left to study womenswear design at London’s Central Saint Martins when he was 22.

 He was the co-founder of womenswear label Three Floor

Before starting Self-Portrait, the designer co-founded fashion label Three Floor in 2011 with his partner, Yvonne Hoang. After finding himself yearning for more artistic control over his work, he left to start his own brand two years later, and the rest is history.

 It all started with humble beginnings

Although Han Chong had the experience and the help from investors, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at the start. Self-Portrait started with just him and an intern, and according to The Straits Times, it was hard to find a factory that would produce his intricate designs during the early days. But the brand pulled through and scored its first major stockist, Selfridges, in 2014, and the collection on the shop floor sold out in three days. Now, the brand has over 375 stockists in more than 70 countries.

 The brand as a long list of celebrity—and royalty—clientele

From the It-girls in Asia (including the likes of Blackpink Jisoo and Lisa, Dilraba Dilmurat, and Priyanka Chopra) to the A-listers in Hollywood (such as Beyoncé, Kristen Stewart, and Emily Blunt), be it on or off-duty, Self-Portrait has proven to be a celeb-favourite.