TIPTOE & JC from DEUS café in Biarritz
“It’s always the same: you wander around, you look, you create an atmosphere in your head, and then… this is what comes out!”
Let us take you to the Basque coast to meet Jean-Charles, aka JC, Sales Director for Deus Ex Machina France. He opens the doors of a former hardware store transformed into a shop and Deus Café, in the heart of Biarritz. A place with raw charm, cars, boards and two-wheelers of all kinds dotted here and there… Enjoy the read!
Photo credit: Alexandre Taube
Hello JC, can you introduce yourself? What role do you have at Deus?
Oh! Jean-Charles, 31, I’m Sales Director for Deus Ex Machina in France. What does that mean? That I look after 120 retailers across France, and I also manage the Biarritz store, for example, help organize events, pack a few boxes sometimes, and clean the office too. I’ve now been working as a duo for over 7 years with Benjamin, my partner, who is in charge of general management.
That’s a rather concise description of what I do, but if I go into detail, I’ll have to explain that I ended up here a little by chance. But if you insist: at 8, I wanted to be a farmer; at 12, a firefighter and a farmer; and at 17, I wanted to work in clothing.
So I was working in a clothing store that carried Deus; I was a student at the time, and I ended up doing my end-of-master’s internship at Deus… with Benjamin.
Can you introduce the brand to us?
Here too, I’ll try to be concise: it’s a clever mix of a clothing brand with a presence all over the world, stores in dream locations—Los Angeles, Sydney, Tokyo, Canggu, Biarritz, Milan, São Paulo—surfing, restaurants, mechanics, cafés, offbeat events, a music label, art… A hub of many things that make Deus Ex Machina much more than clothing collections.
Why did a brand like yours decide to open a café, especially in Biarritz?
Deus has been around for 16 years, and from day one in Sydney, a restaurant was built alongside the shop. As for France, we opened in Biarritz because there’s no city that makes more sense for staying true to our brand universe: everything is there.
So Benjamin and I rolled up our sleeves with some craftspeople, took over this former hardware store at 55 Avenue de la Marne, and in June 2018, from one day to the next, we threw the doors wide open without telling too many people.
Opening this Deus Temple, as we call them internally (shop + café/restaurant), allowed us to make the brand tangible in France and really boosted our national presence.
What were your main inspirations for fitting out and designing this place?
In this case, it was Benjamin and his various travels that inspired him. It’s always the same: you wander, you look around, you create an atmosphere in your head and then… this is what it becomes!
Why did you choose TIPTOE legs for the shop’s tables?
I’m pretty sure his idea, 5 years ago, was to contrast the raw feel of the space we’re in (a former hardware store) and that of the machines (cars and motorcycles) with the minimalist, refined design of the TIPTOE legs. Also, in 2022, you should know that many, many, MANY people come into shops like ours to settle in for a few hours on a computer, and that kind of traffic calls for sturdy tables: we’re very glad we chose TIPTOE!
And the advantage in all this is that the store came to life without too many plans, so with the TIPTOE legs we were able to adapt it however we wanted.
Have you used our products for other projects at Deus?
Believe it or not, you’re very present with us: Biarritz, Méribel, our corner at Le Bon Marché, at Grand Central in Toulon, and at more than one of our retailers with whom we carry out this type of project. You’re even at Ben’s place and mine!
If we stop by your place, what should we order?
If you’re at the Biarritz store, I’d say an essential oat latte, with fresh fruit juice pressed right in front of you. If you’re at the Bordeaux one, a Lobster Roll and ice cream made in our lab, also on site!
And while we’re serving all that, you can take a look at the new collection: from the Deus Records universe (our music label, very street) to the new Women’s collection, through the Deus Classics range, and the brands we carry like Paraboot, Blundstone, Barebones, Rototo, plus books—there’ll be plenty to explore.
Deus Ex Machina Biarritz – The Tenement Of Tenacity
55 Av. de la Marne, 64200 Biarritz