• Website: self-portrait.com
• Founder: Han Chong
• Founded: 2013, London, United Kingdom
• Ownership: Privately held
• Known For: Lace Dresses, Bow Bags, Crescent Bags, Crystal Embellishment, Feminine Tailoring, Occasionwear, Accessible Contemporary Luxury
• Category Focus: Dresses, Ready-to-Wear, Tailoring, Knitwear, Handbags, Footwear, Jewelry, Accessories
Self-Portrait is one of London's most recognizable contemporary fashion houses, renowned for its romantic dresses, intricate lace, crystal embellishment, feminine tailoring, and accessible approach to modern luxury. Founded in 2013 by Malaysian-born designer Han Chong, the label was created with the ambition of making beautifully designed fashion accessible to a broader range of women.
Known for combining guipure lace, structured silhouettes, bows, rhinestones, sheer fabrics, polished tailoring, and feminine detailing, Self-Portrait balances occasion dressing with contemporary practicality. Chong's training at Central Saint Martins and background as an artist inform a design language built around structure, materials, and understanding how women actually wear clothes.
Today, Self-Portrait spans dresses, tailoring, knitwear, separates, handbags, jewelry, footwear, and accessories, with the Bow and Crescent handbag families becoming increasingly important signatures. From its London base, the house has also developed an international retail network spanning Europe and Asia.
Guipure Lace Dresses
Bow Bag
Crescent Bow Bag
Crystal-Embellished Dresses
Bouclé Mini Dresses
Lace Midi Dresses
Crystal Chainmail Bags
Embellished Knitwear
Han Chong founded Self-Portrait in London in 2013. Born in Malaysia and trained at Central Saint Martins, Chong initially pursued art and exhibited at the Venice Biennale before moving into fashion, motivated by the possibility of creating work that could connect directly with a larger audience.
From the beginning, Chong positioned Self-Portrait around beautiful design, femininity, functionality, and attainable contemporary luxury. Rather than building exclusively around runway concepts, the house developed a close relationship with customers through dresses and occasionwear that offered distinctive design at prices below traditional luxury houses.
Key Milestones:
• 2013: Han Chong establishes Self-Portrait in London with the goal of making sophisticated design accessible to women.
• 2010s: Intricate lace dresses, jumpsuits, feminine tailoring, and occasionwear establish Self-Portrait internationally and attract a broad celebrity following.
• 2018: Self-Portrait opens its first flagship on Albemarle Street in London, designed with Casper Mueller Kneer Architects.
• 2022: A second London boutique opens on King's Road in Chelsea, while standalone locations expand across cities including Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Macau.
• 2020s: Handbags become an increasingly important part of the business, with the Bow Bag and Crescent silhouettes developing into recognizable accessories.
• 2024: Self-Portrait launches Residency, a creative platform giving independent designers and creatives access to the company's infrastructure and resources.
• 2024–2025: British designer Christopher Kane becomes the first Self-Portrait Residency collaborator, producing a Spring 2025 collection filled with crystals, chainmail, lace, and body-conscious silhouettes.
Self-Portrait continues demonstrating how occasionwear, femininity, accessible luxury, strong product identity, and contemporary creativity can coexist within an internationally successful London fashion house.
“Self-Portrait makes occasion dressing feel modern and attainable, blending intricate lace, feminine tailoring, crystal details, and playful accessories.”
Self-Portrait matters because it helped demonstrate that distinctive designer fashion and sophisticated occasionwear could occupy the space between mass-market clothing and traditional luxury prices.
Its influence can be seen across:
• Contemporary Occasionwear
• Accessible Luxury
• Feminine Dressing
• Embellished Accessories
By combining intricate lace, flattering construction, crystal embellishment, recognizable accessories, and a strong understanding of occasion dressing, Self-Portrait has created a clear identity within contemporary fashion. Its Residency initiative also expands that proposition beyond a single designer's aesthetic by turning the company's commercial infrastructure into a platform for independent creativity.
Self-Portrait vs Needle & Thread
Self-Portrait vs Aje
Self-Portrait vs Zimmermann
Self-Portrait vs Reformation
