Han Chong starts each season with a game of dress-up, gathering his team around an assortment of past samples, vintage finds, and even printouts to see what might happen. During a preview of his spring 2027 collection, he ran his fingers over the laser-etched paisley of a fit-and-flare denim minidress, which descended from a secondhand bandana brought to one such session. It proved a productive little scrap, giving way to bomber jackets and playsuits, silk wrap-skirt dresses, wide-flung trousers, and swimwear. “We bank tons of new ideas from those fittings, and wait until they’re developed,” he explained. “It’s then a case of instinct as to when we will introduce it to our customers.”
Spring brought many of those experiments to the fore, drawing on the distinct specialisms of producers across China’s textile hubs. A featherlight pink checked lace jacket had tulle petals at its edges; hundreds of hotfixed tiles formed abstract flowers across two evening dresses—Olivia Dean fans might recognize the technique from Chong’s custom pieces for the singer. Knitted bouclé skirt sets were finished with enamel buttons created using digital scans. There was plenty to examine up close, but the silhouettes were pleasingly straightforward. “It’s just enough detail,” said Chong. “Too much and it becomes intimidating to people, so you have to temper it with things they’re familiar with.” Hence a robust suite of denim, mostly made from Tencel and worked into blouson jackets, capri pants, and a godet skirt, which offered a less daunting proposition at the register. “Denim is priced as an entry point for a younger audience that wants to be part of Self-Portrait but might not afford to otherwise,” said Chong,
His collaboration with Australian eyewear label Le Specs applied similar thinking to wraparound and rectangular sunglasses that dip into a pronounced V over the bridge of the nose. “I don’t believe in expensive shades,” he said. “Because I always end up losing mine.” More precious were the bags: purses inspired by Waterford crystal and Wedgwood pottery, and striped rattan numbers with bamboo handles and leather flower charms that continued the season’s emphasis on surface embellishment. They’ll look particularly soigné against pared-back occasionwear, including a scarf-draped column of lilac viscose, a fil coupé gown with spaghetti straps and tiered ruffles at the hips, and an abbreviated charcoal twill blazer dress. “No one’s doing this kind of thing at the moment,” Chong said, producing a python-effect cigarette bag with a built-in mirror he took on a recent holiday to Pathos. “And this was a real talking point at dinner.”
