Brian and Vincent Wu - Incu - interview

Fashion can be a fickle mistress, but not so for Brian and Vincent Wu.

In defiance of the GFC (yes, we're sick of hearing about it too), it's been business as usual for the brothers responsible for the Incu stores - that is, if you can call curating the launch of Topshop in Australia usual. The boys have transformed the top level of their Paddington shop space to house a selection of pieces from the UK high street megastore's Topshop – their current season, no less.

Incu's three stores – two in Sydney and one menswear shop in Melbourne – currently stock what reads like a roll call of the world's most sought after labels, including Raf by Raf Simons, Sophomore and local favourites Antipodium and PAM. It seems almost incongruous that a business whose reputation is built on delivering what other shops do not, or didn't have the foresight to, would want to introduce (gasp!) a brand synonymous with mass production. But the boys say that it was precisely this tension between commerciality and exclusivity that drew them to Topshop in the first place.

"I don't think we could have picked just any high street brand and have it work," says Brian. "Topshop is a bit ahead of all the others in that they're involved with up-and-coming fashion designers, they've done their thing with Kate Moss ... they recognise that they have to sell to a mass market, but they still have cult appeal."

The boys have worked with Topshop, Virgin Atlantic and Visit Britain to ensure that shopping in Incu's Topshop space carries a significant experiential element. Customers who buy from the store in its first week will go into the running to win a trip for two to the UK to spend up big at Topshop in London.

"It's exciting because it's the whole idea of giving back and we've never really done something on that level," says Vincent. "If you haven't experienced Topshop, winning a trip to London and seeing the Oxford Circus store is a pretty big deal. For someone who knows all about Topshop, just being able to go there and go crazy is also a very exciting thing."

Incu presents Topshop is not the first time the boys have brought the experience of an internationally renowned brand to Sydney shoppers. Earlier this year, they converted Surry Hills' Blank Space gallery into a pop-up shop stocking pieces from Chloe Sevigny-endorsed New York label Opening Ceremony.

"With Topshop and Opening Ceremony, the important thing is that we always put the Incu twist on it," says Vincent. "I don't think it would be interesting if we just put a store up and let them do whatever they want. It is a partnership.

"We don't pretend to know everything so we love to work with other people. Our core strength is not about creating fashion retail; it's about creating an amazing experience, so if we can do that then it can be anything, really."

Incu presents Topshop is now open.

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