My personal style signifier is sports- and swimwear – particularly my Youswim two-piece sets. I live in them; I have them in every single colour. It’s like Hunza G [in crinkle-stretch fabric] but I find the Youswim ones more elasticated. I’ve never been a fan of bras, with the wires and everything, and my boobs are quite small. This acts like a sports bra. Also, if I have to go out, I can just put on a pair of tailored trousers and some heels.
Zoe Chan’s jiu-jitsu belt and some of her medals © Philip White
My life completely changed when I took up jiu-jitsu two and a half years ago. When I was younger, I was extremely sporty. I did kung fu; I did jiu-jitsu, but Japanese not Brazilian; I ran cross-country and track; I played lacrosse. But then I had a lot of trauma in my teens and sport went from being something that empowered me to a form of escapism, and a borderline addiction. After that, I was scared to get back into it. When I studied architecture at Cambridge they told us not to bother signing up to any societies – basically, “your life is architecture now”. And for a long time, it was. Having children opened my mind again, and I wanted a more balanced life. When my daughter, Max, started Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I was like, wow, this looks fun. And it is a really fun sport. I never go to the gym because I find it boring. But jiu-jitsu is like chess with your body. There are endless moves you can learn. I just got back from Las Vegas where I won gold at the IBJJF World Masters. I’m now a 2025 world champion, blue belt light-featherweight.
