Hi there. We haven’t spoken in a while so I thought I’d drop a little report in from Bali mid sabbatical.
Bali-is-a-changing (fast). I was only here 6 months ago and some of the streets in Seminyak look totally different. New cafés, shops sprouting up everywhere…scores of Europeans enjoying the busy season. There is also a new breed of surfer in Bali – the Austrians. There must be some sort of deal/surf package in Austria as the beachies have packs of 10-20 paddling out at high tide…never seen such crowds in the surf here (keep in mind its peak season in Aug/early Sept). I must say, those Austrians are fantastic snowboarders. Ha!
The swell has been small up here for the past 9 days…but yesterday lunchtime it rose from 1-2 footers to 3-4 footers creating many options.
Back home in Bondi conditions look great – 3 footers from a SE swell and offshore winds – um – hit it!
The Deus Temple of Enthusiasm (Bali)
Last Saturday night Deus opened up here in Bali on a back road in Canggu. Amazing store, gallery, workshop, artists hang out. Love the passion and diversity behind this brand and if you’re coming up, drop in after a surf. Deus’s local partner D.Hump (Dustin Humphreys) has put the cameras down ( he’s one of the most respected surf lensmen in the world) and now putting his focus on customised motorbikes and his temple of enthusiasm. I am still trying to work out how bring a bike back with me! More
PS – before you hit me with your Bali questions (the 2nd most asked question on Aquabumps behind what camera I use..) read this info page on Aquabumps. I will be updating it soon with all the new bars, hotels and restaurants – so many new ones!)
Is that first pic Kermas
Not it’s not Kermais Chris…it’s Canggu
Morality and Deus – Deus and Morality
It’s a fine line between passion and pain
Deus is a marvellously slick exercise in pre packaging affinity with lifestyle choices, motorcycling, surfing, bike riding and yet is it a monster that will eat itself alive starting with it’s own credible tail?
The enlightened cynics amongst us realise that Deus is Mambo crudely wedded to lifestyles, with highly profitable clothing sales as it’s ultimate dollar focussed motive
In between that paradigm are a large number of Early Adopters’ who will enjoy the stylish merchandise for a short period of time while filling the pockets of Dare Jernnings and his associates
Deus will eventually become mass market, be sold in the malls and sold off as a brand for many millions of hard money
But inevitably Deus will end up on the same cross as the crucified Mambo mouse, withdrawn from circulation because the mainstream finally saw it and got offended. But at least Mambo was only a streetwear fashion label
The risk is here that Deus is legitimising it’s being by associating itself with the lifestyles that we hold very dear and that those lifestyles will end up terribly devalued when the Deus brand eventually and inevitably becomes horribly mass market
Regards
Michaelc – ex Mambo Wearer
Wow Michael, bit heavy…
Deus to me is something different, original and full of enthusiam. That I like.
There is so much stuff out there that is derivative. Everybody copies everybody.
So I support the originality and think Dare is the master of bringing creative people together – to create something new.
what happens in the future – well, who knows…but I live in the now…
Haha really!! didn’t even recognise it and I was only there last week! scored it big time was solid solid solid 🙂
Yo Uge,
does this Aquabumps thingy of yours have like a portal to transport me, mi misus and mi young bloke over there? It fels like I was just there yesterday. Seminyak ROCKS BIGTIME!!
have you got the website handy for that villa that you have in your pics within the report… looks amazing