Gotta Have That Cute Mug? Act Fast. | The New York Times, Sunday Styles
Image courtesy of Not Work Related
“But while streetwear brands are ever concocting an aura of exclusivity, this category of ceramics is the real thing: artist-made, one-of-a-kind.”
There are suggested evolutionary explanations for why humans are so drawn to natural sounds — a babbling brook and chirping birds would have communicated safety and food/water supply. In hearing these sounds, we feel at ease in our bones as much as in our minds. The magnetism of a good mug is hardly a new phenomenon. But during the pandemic, many ceramic artists have seen the kind of customer excitement more associated with clothing lines or concert tickets. Some pieces are selling out within seconds of being posted on websites and Instagram pages.
Lalese Stamps of Lolly Lolly Ceramics said she can sell 250 mugs in under a minute. Sarah Hussaini, the architect turned ceramist behind Not Work Related, reported selling 350 pieces in six minutes. Mica DeMarquez of Mimi Ceramics tracked sales of 326 items in four minutes, and Dustin Barzell of Ceramicism routinely unloads 10 to 30 pieces in 30 seconds. Haley Bradley of Studio Hecha spent an estimated 400 hours — not including dry time — on a recent release of 78 one-of-a-kind pieces. Everything sold, she said, in five minutes.
“One customer told me the last time they felt like this was trying to get tickets to see Beyoncé,” Ms. DeMarquez, 35, said. “It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Part of the thrill is that the wares are being sold in limited-release batches, or “drops.” Such mini-collections have become an online strategy for selling all kinds of things — streetwear and sneakers but also handbags, makeup and even knitwear.