Can Self-Portrait Founder Han Chong Save Roland Mouret?

When the death knell of administration rung for Roland Mouret’s eponymous brand last month, the future of British fashion wasn’t looking good.

Despite designing some of our generation’s most iconic dresses—welcome everywhere from boardrooms to formal events and worn by everyone from the Duchess of Cambridge to Dita Von Teese—his business simply couldn’t outlive the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mouret revealed sales had plunged by 80 per cent earlier this year, following months of lockdowns and cyclical Covid-19 cancellations, saying “we lost 20 years in one day”—and that was just the start.

Profits had already been a problem pre-pandemic. In 2019—the last year for which accounts are available—the company reported a slender pre-tax profit of £242,667 ($326,376) on sales of £16.1 million ($21.6 million), putting the luxury label in a trickier position than most.

As the coronavirus raged on, the demand for Mouret’s iconic dresses and formalwear plummeted. By the end of November, the brand fell into administration.

Only, it doesn’t seem to have become a death knell at all.

Instead, Han Chong—the founder contemporary womenswear brand self-portrait—has acquired the Roland Mouret label under the umbrella of his newly-formed ‘SP Collection’.

“I am very honoured to have the chance to take this luxury brand on the next stage of its journey,” says Chong. “As part of SP Collection, Roland Mouret will benefit from the infrastructure and resources necessary to ensure it can flourish in the coming years. 

“The Roland Mouret brand already has a powerful and respected legacy and I’m excited to see how we can develop it for luxury customers around the world. I am also delighted that Roland himself will be a part of this next chapter.” 

Mouret will remain on the brand’s top table in a new role as Creative Chair.

“I have been so impressed by Han’s passion for the Roland Mouret brand and where he feels it can go next,” said Mouret. “Naturally I am also very happy to be a part of the journey that will allow me to continue celebrating women in all their beautiful guises for years to come.”

And while Mouret’s sexy and sophisticated demi-couture may not seem the most natural fit with self-portrait’s more affordably-priced ‘accessible luxury’, the acquisition has a lot of potential.

Chong has committed to supporting talent—both new and old—for many years. He established a five-year scholarship programme with Central Saint Martins in 2018, offering financial backing for students to complete their MA degree. The launch of SP Collection appears to signal an intention to expand this support—potentially even creating a league of small luxury brands as. designers finish their MAs.

The addition of Roland Mouret, to start, is an inspired move; Mouret adds a genuine luxury offering to the more contemporary collections self-portrait is famed for. Together, the ‘Collection’ will be able to see what works best for smaller and larger brands in the same market, taking that intel into future industry investments and acquisitions.

Which, imperatively, not only silences the death knell of Roland Mouret, but brings a bit more hope to the future of British fashion overall.