About Michael Wainwright

Over the last 25 years, I have sold my handmade, dressed-up wares to retailers across the country, but my story starts in flea markets in New York City. What do you do with a master’s degree in clay sculpture from NYU? I would make plates, bowls, mugs, vases during the week in my Brooklyn loft, and then load up a hand-truck and carry my wares through the NY subway system, to sell in street fairs and flea markets in Manhattan on the weekends. The year was 1991, and I was living in a live/work loft in Brooklyn. My method was (and is) to affordably combine 24k gold or platinum, with my handmade porcelain wares, so the precious metal integrates into the design of the piece. I liked my hand to be visible in the finished pieces, uneven edges, fingerprints and lines. I was in my studio working one day when the phone rang, and the gentleman on the other end of the line introduced himself as John Loring, Vice-President of Tiffany & Co. He said my father had sent him a lovely letter and a plate that I had made, and that he wanted to meet me. I put on my best jeans, and met Mr. Loring, he mentioned they were trying to reach a younger audience, and wanted to give my brand a try. Tiffany’s was the first retail store to carry my work. Although I personally no longer make every single piece, I do make a few collections myself, but I make sure my handmade, studio pottery, craft aesthetic imbues all of my pieces. I like making things that look good, feel good, and are functional.Read their story