Self-Portrait 'Lunar New Year' Ad Campaign

Self-Portrait

Lunar New Year 2023 Ad Campaign

Review of Self-Portrait Lunar New Year 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Han Chong and Photographer Alexandra Leese with models Estelle Chen and Huijia Chen

Self-Portrait celebrates Lunar New Year with a dedicated collection and accompanying campaign captured by British-Chinese photographer Alexandra Leese and directed by the brand’s founder and creative director Han Chong.

The campaign celebrates family and friendship through an intimate series of images that explore the importance of unity, community, and shared rituals. Drawing inspiration from their heritage and experience, Chong and Alexandra develop a visual language that is alive both with the universal cultural symbols of the tradition and the idiosyncrasy of individual family quirks.

Lunar New Year is one of my favourite times of the year…it is a time for ritual, for reflection and of course for celebration! Having grown up in Malaysia, I witnessed first hand the importance of this occasion for the women in my life – the rituals of dressing for festivities and what a special time it is for family and sisterhood. Since then, I’ve always tried to pay homage to this holiday through my work, and this year we collaborated with Alexandra Leese to capture our dedicated collection as well as the spirit, tradition and warmth of the season.”

– Han Chong, Self-Portrait Founder and Creative Director

With a gorgeous color scheme and a richness of thoughtfully sourced details that attest to cultural heritage, the individual and group compositions star models Estelle Chen and Huijia Chen alongside an age-diverse group of women who embody the spirit of coming together for the holiday. As modeled by this cast, Chong’s special collection takes on further personal meaning in its considered reinterpretation of classic designs like the cheongsam or details like intricate guipure lace and bouclé fabrics.

Shot with a vintage film aesthetic, the accompanying pair of brief short films further the emotional spectrum of togetherness and nostalgia. One of these videos sees the cross-generational group of women pose for a family portrait. This idea of the “portrait” of course makes us think of the brand’s name, which thus takes on a suggestion of the self as more than just an individual, but an identity that is shaped by the tradition, heritage, and family with which it is connected.

Marrying gorgeously composed and colored visuals with an emotional narrative of celebration and togetherness, the campaign is one of the most meaningful and beautiful yet from the always invitingly introspective Self-Portrait.

Self-Portrait Creative Director | Han Chong
Director | Han Chong
Photographer | Alexandra Leese
Models | Estelle Chen and Huijia Chen
Stylist | Audrey Hu
Hair | Kiyoko Odo
Makeup | Anne Sophie Costa
Set Design | Danny Hyland