Retail Therapy: Lineage Ceramics combines traditional methods with modern design

Lineage Ceramics stoneware pieces in the collection are made in Wu’s family studio in Teoswa, China.Handout

Lineage Ceramics founder Shuobi Wu has ceramics in his blood. His great-granduncle immigrated to Hong Kong and started the family ceramics business in the 1920s and Wu grew up watching his father make ceramics in his studio. “When my brother and I were young, he specifically told us never to do ceramics because it’s a tough business. However, when I told him about my business idea, I could see his eyes glowing,” he says. “That was the moment where I thought, Lineage is what I am meant to pursue.”

Based in Vancouver, Wu launched his collection earlier this year, combining his family expertise with his love for food. “To be honest, I have always been enthusiastic about food,” he says, pointing to the Korean, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Indian and Laotian food he enjoyed while living in Northern California and the Armenian, Ukrainian and Syrian dishes introduced by friends in Vancouver. To that end, Lineage is meant to highlight what’s on your plate.

All of the stoneware pieces in the collection are made in Wu’s family studio in Teoswa, China. “I have a book on Japanese ceramists that I bought in San Francisco that helped me construct the style and look I wanted to achieve,” Wu says. His debut collection of deep plates, wide-brimmed salad bowls and large entrée platters are available in four glazes: marshmallow white, blackberry, aqua grey and brandy red. “Lineage is about family and about memories, so I try to look for colours that can transcend the test of time.”