29 January 2025 |
The brand tapped multidisciplinary artist Oscar Wang to create a gifting collection.
Celebrating the Chinese New Year is now an international phenomenon with exclusive products commemorating the occasion becoming the norm among luxury brands. For Tiffany & Co., they tapped Shanghai-based artist Oscar Wang on a special collection in honor of the holiday. Wang, who was educated at London’s Chelsea College of Art and Design, has made it a mission to “showcase China’s craftsmanship and heritage and create a new narrative between China and the world.” He does so with his ceramics label, 1300. The name derives from the fact that temperatures required to fire porcelain usually hover between 2381℉ and 2455℉ or 1305℃ and 1346℃. Brands have taken notice, with the likes of Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Ferragamo among his collaborators. With Tiffany & Co., the pieces reflect an evolution in his work as well as a chance to incorporate his own personal history into the project.
“Ceramics have always been a particular passion of mine,” he says. “Not only are they an integral part of Chinese heritage, but their attraction lies in the unknown.” Wang is referring to the unpredictability in the kiln, as a piece in its final state is a mystery to everyone until it has finished firing. While the end product might be a surprise, the process was anything but. From the get go, Wang knew that he wanted to reinterpret the codes of the house via Blanc de Chine, a historical white porcelain from Dehua, China. It’s a perfect fit as Tiffany & Co. is also no stranger to the allure of delicate ceramics, with a long history of porcelain collections. But instead of creating something predictable like dinnerware, Wang looked to another signature brand motif, namely Elsa Peretti’s iconic Open Heart. The result? Two pieces that combine Eastern and Western sensibilities, both glazed in Tiffany & Co.’s signature robin egg blue. You’ll find a ceramic jewellery stand where two snakes intertwined in heart shape that also resembles the number 8 — a numerical symbol of wealth and fortune in Chinese culture. For the other, a jewelry case featuring two hearts mirrored, finished with a Chinese knot around the middle suggesting luck and unity.
“The year of the snake means a lot to me because both my parents were born under this animal. It reflects the love I have for my parents and the love they have for each other, which is the message I want to share,” says Wang. “I view myself more as a bridge between the East and the West.”
