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Straits Times
4 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. Business Keppel to sell M1 unit's telco business to Simba for $1.43 billion Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Singapore BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat World Netanyahu says Israel's new Gaza offensive will start soon Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Business Singapore can deliver and thrive in a fragmented global economy: Morgan Stanley analysts Mr Burnham has purchased pieces there for personal use, as well as to place in stores he designs for others. Mr Gerrits, 29, a product designer for a tech company in San Francisco, acknowledged the polarisation of gender roles in the country. 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.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Homey targets 10,000 beds by 2027 with focus on inclusive co-living
Co-living startup Homey plans to operate over 10,000 beds by 2027 as it aims to add 5000 beds in the current financial year and another 5000 planned in FY27. With a primary focus on hybrid holistic living and value-based education, Homey currently operates over 1000 beds, with 120 more underway in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar . An additional 2000 beds are set to be launched within the next six months. Company's business follow 70–30 model, which ensures inclusivity as 30% of beds are offered free to underprivileged tenants. In Delhi, Homey has entered into a partnership with Iskcon Dwarka for leasing rooms and setting up beds. 'Our aim is to create conscious co-living communities where young minds feel safe, supported, and inspired. As we expand into new cities and cross the 10,000-bed milestone, our focus remains clear: to make high-quality, affordable living easy and meaningful, especially for those who need it the most,' Homey CEO Madhukant Prabhu said. Alongside ISKCON, Homey has partnered with JIMS, Delhi University, APJ School of Management and multiple aviation institutes to provide community-based housing solutions. Through Iskcon Dwarka's network, Homey aims to reach out to migrant populations aged 18 and above, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, to provide accessible accommodation options. In a global context, initiatives like Common in the USA, The Collective in the UK, WeLive in the USA, and Quarters in Germany have paved the way for innovative co-living solutions. These companies offer shared housing options with a focus on community-building, affordability, and convenience for young professionals and students. Homey will debut in Ahmedabad within six months with 500 beds, followed by Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru later this year. Its future plans include entering Kota and other key educational hubs in the next 12–18 months.
Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
To find high-end furniture in New York, look up
The back staircase to the furniture showroom at Nickey-Kehoe in New York on April 29. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES New York's new designer decor showrooms are hidden away from foot traffic, making shopping for furniture feel like visiting a speakeasy. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES To find high-end furniture in New York, look up NEW YORK – Thirty years ago, a New Yorker with a sharp eye and a strong back could still find and rescue an Eames chair from a midtown dumpster. Those with greater means, and less patience, might buy marble pedestal tables and Swedish flat-woven rugs at furniture dealers, like Lin-Weinberg Gallery and Wyeth, that were wedged between ice cream shops and eyewear boutiques in the city's walkable neighbourhoods. Recently, though, rising rents and a desire for intimacy have pushed high-end decor upstairs and out of view. Always a treasure hunt, shopping for designer furniture in New York has become more like grabbing drinks at a speakeasy: If you know, you know. In 2022, Mr Alan Eckstein, 39, moved his furniture showroom, Somerset House, from a storefront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – where he could expect 300 visitors on weekends – to a cheaper warehouse on a desolate block in Long Island City, amid small residential buildings and across fro m a gated carpark. The grandson of a decorator , Mr Eckstein got into the interior design business six years ago, amassing inventory at the Design Within Reach Outlet, at auctions and flea markets, and via Craigslist. He began using the pieces to decorate listings for local real estate brokers . Furniture store Somerset House in Long Island City in April. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES Shoppers at his warehouse find his inventory displayed for sale in artful groupings. The brick walls are freshly painted ecru, and new oversize picture windows splash sunlight onto the furniture, like a 1950s coffee table with fanciful Jacques Blin tiles on top and some inevitable scuffs on its wood legs (US$8,200 or S$10,600) . In July, Somerset House will be moving again, this time to double in size. Mr Eckstein has come to appreciate 'being off the beaten path' and has chosen an even less accessible Long Island City address he calls 'even more speakeasy'. In lower Manhattan, Mr Nick Ozemba, 33, is a co-founder of the concept space Quarters, where you can order designer furniture or a cocktail in a hospitable environment. It is far from 'a white-box space', he says. Indeed, the entrance on Broadway uses a fire stair, leading some who pop up to Quarters on the second floor to fear they have trespassed in a private home. Ms Felicia Hung and Mr Nick Ozemba, are founders of Quarters, a furniture store that sells luxury furnishings and serves cocktails in a polished second-floor space on a 'rugged' block of Broadway below Canal Street in Manhattan. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES In 2023, Mr Ozemba rented 8,000 sq ft on what he termed a 'rugged' block south of Canal Street . Then he gut-renovated the raw loft with his Rhode Island School of Design classmate and business partner Felicia Hung, 34. They opened the fully furnished model rooms and an adjoining vest-pocket bar to the public a year ago. 'We wanted it to feel cosy and moody,' Ms Hung says. Current merchandise ranges from a Roma Heirloom Tomato-scented candle by Flamingo Estate (US$60) to a new In Common With flush-mount chandelier of fused glass and leopard wood (US$42,000). The partners have hosted intimate parties for Loewe, Birkenstock and Tom of Finland to attract a fashionable clientele. But running a store that looks like a rich friend's home has not been without hiccups. Guests once climbed onto a bed display. And a thief stole a decorative tiger figurine. Near Quarters, the presence of the new Lawson-Fenning furniture showroom is announced only by the small print on the building's intercom directory. 'You really have to know where you're going,' Mr Glenn Lawson says. He and Mr Grant Fenning, 57, opened this Manhattan outpost of their original Los Angeles showroom in a 4,500 sq ft Lafayette Street loft in February. The new Lawson-Fenning furniture showroom is located in a loft that was once used as an apartment. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES 'We're not hitting you over the head with design,' says Mr Lawson, 52. The loft was once used as an apartment, and its finishes looked dated. The renovation by New York interior designer Josh Greene, 45, has earth tones and rusty marble kitchen counters, a spa-like bathroom and a powder room. Mr Lawson says the decor signals a shift in style for his company, towards the polish and panache of 1930s New York. 'We're actually looking at Art Deco chairs and lampshades with fringe,' he says. As in California, he will sell contemporary ceramics and vintage-inspired sofas off the floor . The Temple Studio showroom in Manhattan. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES In the Flatiron district, an abandoned tech office was filled with desks before it became Temple Studio, which opened this spring to show fabrics and rugs from independent makers. 'You had to have your magic glasses on' to see the potential, says Ms Kate Temple Reynolds, 44, who opened the studio with Ms Amarlies Gonzalez, 48. She calls the 4,500 sq ft penthouse an art gallery for textiles. 'We wanted to be a charming, hidden spot.' The drab building lift opens to reveal showroom walls hung with Alice Sergeant's riotous hand-printed brocade in pink and ochre. Hooks and shelves brim with saturated colour and adventurous patterns. 'We show people how to layer and combine them without clashing,' she says. West Out East founder West Chin in the duplex furniture showroom in Manhattan. PHOTO: ASHOK SINHA/NYTIMES Around the corner, furniture store West Out East has a duplex loft. Mr West Chin, 56, a residential architect, was born in the Bronx, where his father was an architect of social housing. In 2014, he opened a Long Island location for European furniture and branded it with his distinctive first name plus the local shorthand for the area, where he digs clams on the beach and has a house. The Manhattan location opened in 2021. In the Flatiron location, the layout is curated like an apartment, making it easy to envision the pieces in a home. 'This is a duplex my clients would buy on a higher floor,' he says. Furnishings from Living Divani, Boffi and Porro live in the second-floor loft for a year before moving to sister locations in East Hampton, New York; Miami; and Westport, Connecticut. Everything is functional and liveable, he says, for children who eat ice cream on the couch, and for their parents who drink red wine. He flies his shop's logo over the sidewalk, on an oversized flag, but some customers venture upstairs only after their designers insist. 'The city has no idea we exist,' he says. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Malay Mail
02-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Manufacturers call for national action plan to tackle worker housing woes
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) has proposed that the government formulate a National Action Plan on Labour Quarters to address the shortage of proper accommodation for workers, especially in key industrial areas and logistics hubs across the country. Its president, Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, proposed that the action plan be implemented jointly by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, the Human Resources Ministry and local authorities. 'The current shortfall in Centralised Labour Quarters (CLQ) and Temporary Labour Quarters (TLQ) has impacted both worker welfare and employer compliance with Act 446, which governs minimum standards of housing and amenities,' he said in a statement. He added that employers often face delays in obtaining development approvals and navigating bureaucratic processes, making it difficult to provide workers with safe, regulated living conditions. As such, the FMM recommended three core measures under the proposed action plan, namely the fast-tracking of approvals for CLQ and TLQ development, targeted incentives for employers and developers to build or retrofit proper accommodation, and public–private partnership (PPP) models aligned with local development strategies. 'These measures are essential to ensure that worker housing evolves in tandem with Malaysia's industrial growth,' Soh said. On other developments, FMM also praised the government's broader labour reforms, citing the recent drop in unemployment to 3.1 per cent and the increase in female labour force participation to 56.2 per cent as signs of effective policy intervention. Soh said the introduction of the Madani Workers' Card, which offers discounts on essential goods and services, is a significant step forward in integrating social protection into worker benefits. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when delivering his message in conjunction with the 2025 National Labour Day celebration at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil here yesterday, announced that one million union members will receive discounts of up to 30 per cent from over 100 companies offering essential goods and services through the Madani Workers' Card initiative. 'This is in appreciation of workers for their hard work in carrying out their duties and trust,' Anwar said. In a nod to Malaysia's labour movement history, Soh welcomed the revival of the 'Solidariti Perjuangan' song, penned by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, which he said serves as a timely reminder of the central role of workers in nation-building. — Bernama
