Incu
Established in 2002 in Sydney by twin brothers Brian and Vincent Wu, Incu has grown to become one of Australia’s slickest luxury fashion names. Inspired by their love of travel, international designers and emerging Australian brands, the Wu brothers have forged a multifaceted fashion and lifestyle business, as well as launching their own label – Incu Collection – in 2018. The QV Melbourne store, voluminous at just over 700sqm, is one of the coolest concepts in the city, beautifully designed with hushed neutral tones providing the canvas for a brilliant curation of brands including the likes of A.P.C, AMI Paris, Jacquemus, Lemaire, Dries Van Noten, and so many more. For cutting-edge fashion, there’s no better place.
12 Albert Coates Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, www.incu.com/
Up There Store, CBD
Born in 2010 on the first floor of McKillop Street, Up There Store started life as a love letter to kicks culture. Co-founders James Barrett, Brendan Mitchell and Jason Paparoulas – three mates with a shared passion for street culture – launched it amid Melbourne’s nascent sneaker revolution, making a name for themselves by importing hard-to-get rarities. Their 345-square-metre flagship store was redesigned in 2023 by Kennedy Nolan architects, replete with inky green ceilings, mirror funhouse and curated zones. Expect to find the likes of Engineered Garments and Nanamica, alongside some must-have seasonal collabs.
69 Flinders Lane, CBD; uptherestore.com
Pickings & Parry, Fitzroy
Brit Chris Pickings founded Pickings & Parry in 2013 on Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street in a bid to resurrect vanishing workwear traditions amid Melbourne’s fast-fashion tide. Safe to say he’s made a great success of it. Alongside his wife Carlan, Chris transformed a double storefront into a destination of cool, complete with a barbershop (open seven days a week) and a Union Special sewing machine for on-site denim repairs.
Stock spans the likes of Nigel Cabourn repros (researched from military archives), Sugar Cane selvedge, Barbour, Filson and Wolverine boots, sourced from Japan, UK, France, Germany, Italy and the US. Now rebranded PPHH Store after a decade in business, it also offers fantastic womenswear in sister store Heffernan & Haire next door.
166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy; pphh.store
Urahara, Collingwood
What originally started as Godspeed in 2015 (Melbourne’s go-to Japanese denim den), Urahara was reborn in 2023 under owner Martin Kirby’s obsessive eye for handmade Americana-Japanese fusion. If you’re a bona fide denim head, Urahara is your first stop in the city. And don’t sleep on the house label – “Godspeed” is made in Japan to the same exacting standards as the very best selvedge brands. Expect rails loaded with the likes of Iron Heart, Fullcount jeans, Tanuki denim, Rats streetwear and tonnes more, plus there’s a brilliant repair service via vintage machines if you’ve got any heritage denim that needs salvaging.
3 Johnston Street, Collingwood; urahara-store.com
Handsom, Fitzroy
British expats Sam Rush and Henry Allum are keeping the Poms well represented in Melbourne, blending fashion and product design nous at Handsom on eclectic Gertrude Street. ‘We make nice clothes,’ they quip, and have been doing so since 2010. They predominantly focus on an understated European style, influenced by the likes of Acne, APC and YMC. The drops are small but really well curated. Now 15 years strong, Handsom has weathered the storm of pop-ups and economic maelstroms to still remain true to the original vision – effortless everyday style that endures.
163 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy; handsom-store.com
P. Johnson, CBD
After seven years honing his precision at Jermyn Street shirtmaker Emmett London, Patrick Johnson founded his eponymously named brand in Sydney 2009 together with business partner Tom Riley. They expanded to Melbourne’s Russell Street showroom not long thereafter. They’ve since developed a global reputation for fine tailoring perfectly suited to warm climates.
Their Tuscan range crafts lightweight made-to-measure Sartoria Carrara suits in earthy linens, while their Pronto line offers a faster and more affordable service, being crafted in a workshop just outside of Shanghai. It’s soft, wearable elegance of that “quiet luxury” aesthetic that made the likes of Brunello Cucinelli so revered.
145 Russell Street, CBD; pjt.com
Ryan Thompson is a UK-based menswear and lifestyle writer, whose work has appeared in, among others, the Financial Times, Mr Porter, The Rake and Ape to Gentleman
