How INCU Brings Fashion Collections to Life: An Exclusive Industry Visit
WORDS BY NFC STUDENT, SASHA BRIDGES
Recently, NFC Students had the opportunity to visit the INCU Head Office for an excursion and gain a behind-the-scenes look at how one of Australia's leading fashion retailers operates. While many people only see the finished product on the shop floor, this experience gave us valuable insight into the many departments and individuals involved in bringing a collection to life.
One of the most interesting parts of the tour was hearing directly from the Design and Production teams. We learnt about the role of tech packs and how they are used to communicate garment specifications to manufacturers. The designers also spoke about the process of sending samples back and forth between manufacturers and the Sydney head office, making adjustments along the way to ensure the final product meets both creative and commercial expectations. It was fascinating to learn about the level of detail involved, as well as the importance of managing timelines and budgets throughout the production process.
Another highlight was hearing from INCU's buying team. Before the visit, I had always imagined buying as a highly creative role focused purely on selecting products. However, the buyers shared a much broader perspective, explaining how heavily the role relies on analytics, sales data, forecasting and strategic decision-making. Surprisingly, what many would consider the "less glamorous" side of buying was actually one of the most interesting aspects of the day for me. Learning how data influences purchasing decisions has made me seriously consider buying as a potential career pathway within the fashion industry!
We also had the opportunity to hear from INCU co-founders Brian and Vincent Wu, who shared the story of how the business began in 2002. Their journey was particularly inspiring because they spoke honestly about not feeling fulfilled in the careers they initially pursued after university before eventually building INCU into the successful brand it is today.
The tour also included a visit to the warehouse and an opportunity to observe the dynamic working environment within the head office. Seeing the different departments working together highlighted just how collaborative the fashion industry is. As an added bonus, there were also two very cute office dogs who quickly became favourites among our group!
To finish the experience, we participated in a quiz based on everything we had learnt throughout the day. I was lucky enough to win and was able to choose a piece from INCU's collection to take home. I ended up selecting a suede bomber jacket that looks incredibly chic and effortlessly cool, making it a reward I was very excited to take home.
It was a fantastic way to end an already memorable experience!
SEE MORE FROM NFC’S EXCURSION TO INCU: