MILWAUKEE — Lalese Stamps has made a name for herself gaining national recognition, one mug at a time. She's been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, and The Washington Post to name a few.
Stamps launched Lolly Lolly Ceramics in 2017, a fun hobby, while she primarily worked as a graphic designer.
"What I just didn't really understand when I was younger was that I can create my own pathway," said Stamps.
It wasn't until the summer of 2020 when she realized she could mold her hobby into a successful business.
Stamps spent most of her days following the death of George Floyd out in the streets protesting. It was then that she noticed many began to reach out wanting to support a Black female artist.
"There was just a lot of people who were like wow, I'm not really supporting Black people as much as I should be. Our brand just kinda got lumped into that where we saw this spike of support."
This spike led Stamps to leave her job in graphic design and pursue her passion as a ceramic artist and business owner.
Each mug is handcrafted in Milwaukee and the demand continues to soar as she receives orders from all over the world.
"The fastest that our pieces have sold is 13 seconds, I believe," she said.
Stamps has plans to take her talents to New York for an artist residency with Solange Knowles, Beyonce's younger sister, as a part of The Saint Heron Ceramics.
"She's the epitome of making sure that Black culture, Black people are celebrated and remembered in history so to be a part of that is super exciting."
To purchase a mug, visit click here
