Deus ex Machina – “Plenty” coach jacket
Deus ex Machina is a lifestyle brand rooted in Sydney, Australia. It was founded by Dare Jennings in 2006 and, at first, revolved around motorcycling, surfing, music and fashion. The mothership in Sydney, baptized with a wink “temple of boyish enthusiasm” still exists and plays a major role, but since the majority of the business went to a group of mainly Italian investors in 2017, the company meanwhile took its official seat in Milan. The shift behind the scenes had to do with the will to expand the business globally. Apart from uncountable points of sale, Deus ex Machina, in 2024, runs thirteen flagship stores called temples, either directly or under license, from Tokyo to Cape Town and Los Angeles. Far from being standardized, these stores each offer their own mix of products, services, food and community events.
The item featured in this post is a functional jacket named “Plenty“ from the Deus Customs series. Black and of a no-nonsense straight cut, it was designed at the Deus House of Simple Pleasures in Camperdown, Sydney. Its highlights are purely typographic and feature Brush Script (“Plenty Good”), an American classic from the 1940s, and Enfantine (“Deus Customs”), a script typeface designed by Jean-Baptiste Levée from Production Type. While the calligraphic idea behind the first is that of a pointed brush used in sign painting, Enfantine distinguishes itself by monolinear strokes, a wide rhythm with open counters, and by standing upright, a feature seldomly found in script typefaces.
