While most new fashion labels strive to target a highly focused niche group, Deus Ex Machina strives instead to convey an overarching love for all things fun and creative. Deus’ flagship stores typically offer not only an opportunity to buy men’s clothing, but also to browse surfboards, skateboards, custom-made motorcycles, and the best flat white in town. This extends out of Deus’ base belief in a respect for the honesty and enjoyment of the machine, stemming from its name, Deus Ex Machina, latin for “God out of the machine”.
Photos via @deuscustoms on Instagram
Deus was co-founded by Dare Jennings in 2006 and was his second success in the world of fashion, following his creation of a surf, skate, and streetwear design company in 1984 known as Mambo Graphics. The company has quickly grown from its first location - a combination of showroom, café, and corporate headquarters in Sydney, Australia - to a world-renowned brand, with flagship stores in Tokyo, Milan, and Los angeles. This concept of a café/clothing store has followed Deus around the world, with every one of their flagship stores playing host to a similar combo.
Today we’ll be diving deeper into Deus’ Venice beach location, dubbed “The Emporium of Post Modern Activities” and their only flagship location in North America.
The exterior of the building speaks for all of what Deus has tried to do with its brand. It’s rugged, different, and exemplifies Deus’ design aesthetic of postmodernism, a cultural synthesis put together from things both old and new.
The interior of the store houses many custom motorcycles on display, all built in house by Michael Wooliway, Deus’ Motorcycle Design Director for the United States. Michael, credited by many for bringing Deus to the forefront of motorcycle design, does all his work by hand, turning Harleys and Yamahamas into retro street-rockets with names like the Fiddler and Moto Grigio.
Along the walls, hand-shaped and hand-glassed surfboards made at their Bali location lie in a neat line. Racks of clothing from Deus’ own clothing line, as well as lifestyle items such as duffle bags, are complemented by clothes from other local, like-minded companies, such as watches from Tsovet, a company founded in Los Angeles, and motorcycle helmets from Biltwell Inc., out of Murrieta, California.
To top it all off, there is a cafe with great outdoor seating, and even more seats inside along with a reading area. Fuel up before riding out with a flat white and an Almond Croissant from the local B1 Bakery.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and are looking for a good cup of coffee, custom motorcycles, or timeless men’s clothing, The Emporium of Post Modern Activities is a sure bet. You can also shop online and check out their instagram handle @deusemporium for all things internal combustion.
