Paper is one of the oldest mediums known to man. It has served various
purposes through the ages; sometimes as a medium to transfer information and
sometimes as a model of beauty. Today in Goa, two sisters have achieved much
success with their unique designs. Operating under the brand name ‘It’s All
About Paper’, sisters Miriam Gracias and Malaika Gracias e Miranda have marked
a distinct personality with their designs that have caught the fancy of
clientele in India as well as abroad.
Speaking about the
company Miriam says, “Our design studio offers arty home décor, lifestyle
products, invitations, stationery, party accessories and branding solutions.
The items include but aren’t limit to quirky home plaques, serving trays,
contemporary style cushions covers, flower arrangements, jewellery boxes,
placemats, coasters, etc. Different art styles and mediums are used to create
the artwork. The various design forms also include coastal motifs depicting
Goa, vintage, rustic, floral and the art piece has a contemporary style with
modern look and feel.
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“Instead of having a
traditional focal point like wall art, we give options to hang a few chopping
boards with messages on time-worn patinas. One could also grab the ‘Goan
gozali’, our trending wall hangings and placemats with famous Konkani quotes.
These are perfect conversation starters and create a great sense of nostalgia.”
The sisters also design unique and distinct invitations and
stationery. They firmly believe that since the invitation is your guests’ first
peek into your wedding day, it reflects your personalities and hints to the
style of your wedding. Miriam says, “We put in every effort to make your
stationery personalised and distinct, right from beautiful save the dates,
wedding invitations to stationery items that one would need on their big day.”
The sisters are a unique mix of expertise. Miriam is an applied
artiste and freelancing marketing-communications specialist for hospitality and
lifestyle brands. She studied Fine Art at Goa College of Art and started her
career as a graphic designer and copy writer and has worked at various
advertising agencies. She has handled branding, advertising and communications
for well-known hospitality groups. Malaika Gracias e Miranda is a
physiotherapist by profession and is passionate about crafting. Before starting
her own private clinic ‘InnerStrenght Physiotheraphy and Rehabilitation Clinic’
in Margao and Chinchinim, Malaika imparted knowledge at the KLES Physiotherapy
College, Belgaum and has worked at the American Heart Foundation, Belgaum and
Wockhardt Hospital, Goa. She is an alumni from the Manipal University.
When asked what prompted them to start this project together,
Miriam say, “We were doing quite well in our respective fields and art and
craft has always been a passion and hobby for the both of us since our
childhood days. Being in the medical field, Malaika feels that crafting adds
joy and colour to her day, and her passion has only grown. While for me, art
has been my world. A professional advertiser and a maker at heart, I have
always been passionate about art and designing.”
The decided to put together their skills of art and
conceptualised their design studio in 2014. For Miriam, being a professional
artiste, it’s much easy to make visual arrangements, concepts, compositions and
balance. She applies many different styles to her work. True to the punchline,
all their products are ‘handcrafted from the heart’.
When asked about what is popular, she smiles and says that IAAP
personalised wedding invitations, creative albums/journals and home accessories
– titled Travel Collection, Picnic Collection and the ‘Goan gozali’ are very
popular. They are getting a lot of business from Britain, with news spreading
through word of mouth and social media. As for plans for the future, Miriam
says that they have a couple of very creative invitations from the UK and new
designs for lifestyle. Growth, she says, will happen if they continue working
at the standard they are presently maintaining.
