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Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Ceramics the charm for young, fashion-conscious men in the United States
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox NEW YORK – Pricey pottery has found a new audience in young, fashion-conscious American men. Precious earthenware is appearing on bookshelves, in curio cabinets and on the dinner tables of image-driven types with disposable income to burn. High-end gallerists, artists and home goods boutiques say their male client base for ceramics has seen significant growth in recent years. Men's clothing boutiques across the United States now display handmade bowls, cups and vases in a manner similar to accessories like wallets or belts – indicating that ceramics are now considered part of a well-rounded lifestyle, like the hand-loomed Japanese linen shirts and bench-made loafers that sit beside them. This rising interest in luxury ceramics, according to the men buying them, is the by-product of changing gender norms relating to domesticity and decorating the home – a contrast to the calls by some for a return to traditional masculinity. When Mr Landon Gerrits began collecting ceramics in his early 20s, he felt like an anomaly. But now, Mr Gerrits, who is based in San Francisco and has invested in several high-end pieces of artisanal pottery, has noticed more and more friends appreciating the earthy, tactile nature of clay products and the longevity they offer in the home. It is an art form with both function and beauty. Mr Landon Gerrits, at home in San Francisco on July 25, drinks coffee from a cup that is part of a broader collection of pottery and ceramics. PHOTO: JASON HENRY/NYTIMES 'You are seeing an openness to men enjoying things that are aesthetic,' said Mr Travis Burnham, 42, who lives in Queens, New York, and who has bought multiple pieces at Quarters. The home-goods emporium in the Tribeca neighbourhood of Manhattan sells handmade earthenware often priced in excess of US$400 (S$510). Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Looking back, he said the decision to invest in pottery was an unconscious rejection of traditional masculinity, partly because it is an avenue to have a connection with the arts. A collection of pottery and ceramics at Mr Gerrits' home. PHOTO: JASON HENRY/NYTIMES The act of collecting ceramics creates an opportunity for deep research into a world of something rare and expensive. 'There is a sophistication that everyone wants to have around knowing things,' said Mr Timothy Grindle, chief executive of Canoe Club, a men's fashion boutique in Boulder, Colorado, that has seen a 75 per cent spike in its ceramics sales in 2025. Rarefied clay pieces can also now be found at other menswear stores like Kith, which sells US$375 crackle vases handmade in Philadelphia and a US$1,150 candle housed in a French-made clay vessel that is called a 'light sculpture'. Pottery, both new and vintage, brackets the shoe selection at Ven. Space, a taste-making men's boutique in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. But why so much pottery in men's boutiques? Clothing, according to menswear designer Evan Kinori in San Francisco, is a 'gateway drug' for men to hone an interest in home furnishings. Menswear designer Evan Kinori at his San Francisco shop, which stocks artisanal pottery made in Germany and New Mexico. PHOTO: JASON HENRY/NYTIMES 'It's only a matter of time before it unlocks a door for them to think about other things they use to express their taste,' said the 37-year-old , who stocks artisanal works from Japan and New Mexico – with prices ranging from US$65 to US$1,500 – in his shop in the Mission District. The pottery he sells is, in many ways, visually aligned with his minimal clothing designs – most of it exuding a wabi-sabi design influence, rich with texture and with the palette of a thousand twigs. Menswear designer Evan Kinori's selection of pottery often sells out on his web shop and is displayed like fashion accessories in his Mission District boutique in San Francisco. PHOTO: JASON HENRY/NYTIMES But even outside the fashion space, galleries, artists and home goods stores reported noticeable growth in pottery sales to men both young and old. It is the case with ceramics artists Courtney Duncan in Los Angeles and Jeremy Ayers in Waterbury, Vermont, as well as Jayson Home, a high-end retailer in Chicago. Mr Andrew Fry, an owner of Plain Goods, a lifestyle store in Washington, Connecticut, said that men now account for some 50 per cent of the store's ceramic's purchases – up from about 30 per cent in 2024. This widening interest in high-end domestic products among men first emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, experts said. It has since evolved to become a visual extension of the male identity – particularly on social media, where living spaces are a backdrop for daily life. 'One's home is up for judgment more than ever. It's no longer deemed as a traditionally feminine space,' said James Harris, 39, a host of the popular fashion and culture podcast Throwing Fits. This newfound connoisseurship and an appreciation of craggy stoneware makes Mr Alex Applegate, 34, a San Francisco-based copywriter, feel like he is breaking with the 'boomer' tradition of mass-produced tableware from companies like Corelle, which were in his home growing up. Like his friend Mr Gerrits, Mr Applegate enjoys investing in pottery for its idiosyncrasies – even if it proves riskier than his parents' cookie-cutter tempered glass. 'I've broken some things and glued them back together – they are plant stands now,' Mr Applegate said of his pottery collection. 'It's a mild romantic frivolity that makes life nicer.' NYTIMES
New York Times
29-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Pottery Finds a New Audience Among Fashionable Men
Pricey pottery has found a new audience in young, fashion-conscious American men. Precious earthenware is appearing on bookshelves, in curio cabinets and on the dinner tables of image-driven types with disposable income to burn. High-end gallerists, artists and home goods boutiques say their male client base for ceramics has seen significant growth in recent years. Men's clothing boutiques across the United States now display handmade bowls, cups and vases in a manner similar to accessories like wallets or belts — indicating that ceramics are now considered part of a well-rounded lifestyle, like the hand-loomed Japanese linen shirts and bench-made loafers that sit beside them. This rising interest in luxury ceramics, according to the men buying them, is the byproduct of changing gender norms relating to domesticity and decorating the home — a contrast to the calls by some for a return to traditional masculinity. When Landon Gerrits began collecting ceramics in his early 20s, he felt like an anomaly. But now, Mr. Gerrits, who is based in San Francisco and who has invested in several high-end pieces of artisanal pottery, said he has noticed more and more friends appreciating the earthy, tactile nature of clay products and the longevity they offer in the home. It's an art form with both function and beauty. 'You are seeing an openness to men enjoying things that are aesthetic,' said Travis Burnham, 42, who lives in Queens, N.Y., and who has bought multiple pieces at Quarters, a home-goods emporium in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan, which sells handmade earthenware often priced in excess of $400. Mr. Burnham has purchased pieces there for personal use as well as to place in stores he designs for others. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
