Menswear, All Grown Up: A New Japanese-Made Label by the Twin Brothers Behind Incu

It’s coming up to 24 years of Incu, the multi-brand fashion boutique with 13 stores nationwide. Its founders, twin brothers Brian and Vincent Wu, were in their mid-twenties at the time of launch. Now, they’re entering their fifties – and, for the first time, they’ve released a clothing line of their own.

Incu is cherished for its wealth of stocked brands, ranging from designers like Cecilie Bahnsen and Junya Watanabe, to streetwear labels like Needles and Nike, to local labels like Blanca and Esse Studios. In 2018, it launched an in-house label, Incu Collection – a line of competitively priced wardrobe basics. By then, the brand had grown into a well-oiled machine, with a team of designers at the helm.

While the Wus occasionally dabbled in design, the idea of releasing a label together was something they’d only dreamed about – until now. Over the last seven to eight months, the pair have developed Incu 1976, a micro-label that reflects their personal style. It draws on their extensive overseas buying experience, translating it for Australian tastes. “For the first time we thought, ‘What would we wear?’” Vincent says. 

The label is stamped with their birth year, signifying just how personal it is. During the creation process, “we talked a lot about that stuff that we were going through with our lives,” Vincent says. Contrary to most typical fashion drops, the pair have shrugged off some of the traditional pressures around timelines and profit. “Our theory going into this collection was … let’s just create something that we’re really personally excited about and would wear,” Brian says. 

Sixteen pieces, eight styles, two colourways – the inaugural collection is tight and considered, full of staple items. Each piece is coupled with a descriptor – “easy”, “relaxed” or “classic”. (“We’re probably at that age where we just want things that are comfortable,” Vincent explains.) The duo have designed three shirts – a striped button-up, a poplin and an Oxford – and two pants: a dress pant and a chino. There’s also a long-sleeve knit polo, a dress jacket and a military-style M65 jacket.

Vincent’s favourite set is the wool-blend relaxed dress jacket and pants; Brian’s is the classic long-sleeve knit polo in brown. “The whole collection is a balance between making sure it’s casual enough that you could wear it every day, but then also has a dressy look about it,” Brian says. “That’s representative of us, but also kind of representative of the Australian lifestyle.”

Every piece has been made in Japan. After an extensive history of working with Japanese manufacturers, the Wus have become familiar with the fine skills of these makers, as well as some of the hardships they’ve experienced. “A lot of the Japanese fabric factories are quite small, but they’re struggling a little bit,” Vincent says. “So this came about because we were like, ‘Let’s try and find a way to support these factories and these artisans.” 

The brothers plan to release two capsule-sized collections each year that complement previous drops. “We’re hoping [the next Incu 1976 collection] comes out around June, but who knows?” Brian says. “It’s not like we’ve got to stick to strict timelines, or how big the collection is or how small it is. We just want to make sure we do things that we love, so every piece means something.”

incu.com/collections/incu-1976