Dare Jennings

Dare Jennings is the founder of Mambo clothing - the large commercial clothing and textile manufacturing business he started in his backyard that grew into a company turning over $10 million annually with 22 stores around the world. It was the company he wanted to project a different kind of Australia, beyond the usual nationalistic cliches. As he was turning 50, he sold the business and picked up his new inspiration, for red-hot, customised, detailed motorbikes, Deus Ex Machina.

After graduating from Yanko, Dare, arrived at Sydney University and soon dropped out. He taught himself how to screen print and eventually was able to produce a selection of t-shirts that celebrated several of his youthful enthusiasms (or 'distractions',  like politics, surf, sex, drugs and rock & roll). This paid 'hobby' soon grew into a substantial business.

And so Mambo was born. Around this time Dare also opened Phantom Records, an independent import record store that eventually grew a recording arm that was to release debut records for some of Australia's soon-to-be major bands, including The Sunny Boys and Hoodoo Gurus. Mambo's growth during the 80s was truly dramatic.

Feeding off both Dare's and his friend's enthusiasm for surf, art, music and politics, Mambo quickly etched itself into Australia's consciousness and then just as quickly became recognized around the world for its originality and irreverent sense of humour. "I never wanted to appear to be a parochial brand. I wanted something that was a little more global, a name that would be more global. 'Mambo' had many great connotations, black magic, voodoo, jazz, beatniks - the things that I liked."

Dare commissioned artists to reproduc thier work on Mambo fabrics. The artists included a famous maker of ceramics and jewellery (Gerry Wedd), a pop star from the band Mental as Anything (Reg Mombassa) and a cartoonist (Matthew Martin). Their art featured surreal suburban landscapes populated by vomiting dogs, horned bulls, boxy fibro houses and Australian insects such as Bogong moths. Balmain High School in Sydney used a Mambo print for its school uniform in 1993.

One of Mambo's biggest successes was being included in the Sydney Olympic Games. Mambo shirts were chosen as part of the Australian team's uniform, while huge Mambo puppets were paraded in the closing ceremony. As well as furniture and clothes, Mambo designs and graphics are mass produced on surfboards, surfbags, posters, CD covers and in ads.

Dare has always been a keen motorcyclist and in 2006 when we was visiting Japan inspiration hit and he came up with the idea for his new company: Deus Ex Machina. Excited by this discovery, Dare decided to introduce this vibrant new culture to Australian motorcyclists. Deus ex Machina, a Latin phrase meaning 'God is in the machine', is the name he chose for this new venture and with a willing band of fellow enthusiasts Dare and Deus are now doing for motorcycle culture what he previously did for surf culture.

Dare is well-accustomed to a challenge. In fact, given his track record, he seems to thrive on one, particularly when it is hooked up with one of his idiosyncratic passions.  Dare believes it is important to realise innovation is a whole team effort, rather than the province of lone-wolves or particular departments. He stresses the commitment and willingness that is needed to free people up to do the work involved.  "Innovation takes energy; energy to find new solutions, to overcome obstacles and to try something new when there are safer, faster, easier options available."

Dare's keynotes are very visual and his style is self deprecating - the outcome is very inspiring!