Apartment. Ben’s Burgers. The Bleachers. A Love Supreme. Double Double.
For 17 years brothers Nick and Ben Chiu have stood towards the centre of Brisbane independent culture, a pair of very, very well-dressed tastemakers.
Nick and Ben Chiu outside 199A in Brisbane’s CBD.Credit: Kirsty Sycz
Apartment, originally in the old Elizabeth Arcade, was a game changer for street wear in this city. Ben’s Burgers (now sold) did much the same for the humble bread, meat and cheese. And Double Double, which the Chius opened with former business partners Simon and Kimberley Sun in 2019, was a magnet for fashion-forward folks in the heart of Queen Street Mall. A Love Supreme continues to throw some of the best parties in town (if a little less frequently than it used to).
Back when so many other creatives were walking away from Brisbane, the Chius chose to stay and invest in the city. It’s interesting, then, to find the brothers in a slightly pensive mood in their immaculate new boutique, 199A.
“I’ve still got the fire,” Nick says. “Do you still have it, Ben?”
Ben pauses, laughs. “There’s still fire,” he says eventually. “I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise.”
199A stocks Hysteric Glamour, Eckhaus Latta, Hyein Seo and Open Product, among many other designer brands.Credit: Kirsty Sycz
Still, the Chius are a little older now – Nick is 40, Ben 35 – and perhaps a touch more philosophical about their capacity to help shift the culture of the city.
“I feel Brisbane’s cultural scene has gotten better and wider, in a sense,” Nick says.
“But ... I find that if you’re into something a little bit more underground or a little less accessible, less polished – the spaces for that have gotten smaller … Especially in music and art. COVID just destroyed so many people.”
In that sense, 199A feels like a regroup for the Chius. They closed Double Double in August, having earlier taken over the entirety of the lease.
Japanese label Comme de Garcons at 199A.Credit: Kirsty Sycz
“What we’re trying to do with 199A is make it more empowering for the youth that are coming up. There’s more energy in a younger creative scene.
“And Brisbane’s creative scene does skew slightly younger because it’s emerging. So hopefully, this is a good space for them but it’s also an exciting place to be in terms of fashion.”
“It’s not entirely geared around youth,” Ben adds, “simply because a lot of the brands we have are inaccessible cost-wise for that demographic. But it’s a space for adventures in fashion.”
199A is a striking, spacious boutique. Designed by Bones Studio (co-owned by the Chius’ sister, Allana Chiu), it’s all high ceilings, strip lighting and timber floors. The signature feature is a staircase of white tiles, which leads to a second room that plays host to the Chius’ collections of Maison Kitsune and Comme de Garcons Play.
199A in Brisbane’s CBD.Credit: Kirsty Sycz
The store is also an opportunity for the Chius to dabble in different brands such as Hysteric Glamour, Eckhaus Latta, Hyein Seo and Open Product.
“A lot of [our clothes] are very gender fluid,” Nick says.
“It’s pushing out that boundary of boys wearing girls’ clothes, and the other way ’round. But we’re also still leaning into what we do well, which is a lot of Japanese brands … all it takes is someone to go to Tokyo and they get what we do.”
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