Claiming to be the first company in Goa to deal in hand painted shoes and the first brand in India with an independent store displaying them, ‘Pintado’ that kick-started in Panaji on February 1 is all about Goan art, culture, nature and lifestyle
BHARATI PAWASKAR
It may be a long cherished dream or a dearly prized wish that can now be granted within a day or two, thanks to Pintado - the newly launched novelty shoe store in the heart of the capital city Panaji. Kids, teenagers, adults including women and men - all of them can boast of having their favourite image at the tip of their toes or at their feet - be it their favourite scene from a Hollywood horror movie like Exorcist, a popular cartoon character like Richie Rich, Spiderman or Peppa Pig. Wear it casually for a party, beach walk or gym - Pintado offers fun-filled moments.
“Well, we, I and my business partner Deepa Naik, were working on the concept for the past two years but could launch it only on February 1. Currently we have over 200 shoe pairs on display in our store,” shares Richard Pinto, the creator of brand Pintado which offers customised hand painted shoes that come in various sizes and designs. You name it and over two dozen Goan artists will paint your wish on white canvas shoes, albeit you have chosen your size.
A bunch of artists - professional, amateur and students are associated with Pintado who are expert in creating beautiful hand paintings in acrylic. The painted shoes can be washed or worn in the rains with colours intact.
Though Pintado opened its first store in Goa earlier this month, the road was difficult to walk for Pinto who thought of introducing this concept - of offering customised, hand painted shoes in Goa. He recalls of paying the rent of his store for two years without being able to kick-start his project. There were licences to procure and documents to be submitted in various departments.
“It took us longer than expected. But with patience and perseverance we waited for things to fall in place. And this paid off rich dividends. Today we have orders pouring in. Pintado will soon be in a position to offer job work to hundreds of Goan artists who can work even from their homes,” claims Pinto who is planning to take up his venture to the next level.
An artist can paint a pair in a day at leisure. This will be a good source of earning pocket money for the fine art students in Goa. “We offer all kinds of art - doodling, cartoons, psychedelic arts, nature - except religious symbols and anything associated with national pride. This is to avoid hurting religious sentiments or offending national pride,” explains Pinto.
He recalls a recent incident, when a customer who had a huge collection of Batman memorabilia walked into his store and requested if they could paint a design on the shoes. “We obliged. When he saw our creation, he loved his pair of shoes so much that he decided never to wear them, instead keep in his collection,” exclaims Pinto who had earlier worked with VANS, a foreign brand of hand painted shoes.
Seeing the potential of growth in this concept, Pinto thought of initiating it himself and promoting Goan artists. He did his homework before plunging into this business. He researched on the shoe quality and everlasting, unfading colours and zeroed on a unit in Agra that made white canvas shoes for ‘Pintado’. Then he selected artists from Goa to hand paint these shoes.
What’s in a name? Why Pintado? “The name we chose for our brand, Pintado, is a Portuguese word meaning ‘painted’ which I feel is appropriate as our company specialises in customised hand painted shoes. And coincidently the word includes my surname (Pinto) too,” smiles Pinto. Intricate and delicate work of professional artists on quality, durable material with washable paints to satisfy the requirements of choosy customers is what makes Pintado’s one-of-a-kind shoe pair.
Pinto is in talks with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation too to promote this Goan art (ad)venture. Festivals like Lokotsava can offer platform to this art. Pinto’s clients are privileged to have their images and ideas painted on their shoes. Draw it, sketch it or explain it verbally to us. Send a picture or an image and they paint it for you.
The concept of hand painted customised shoes is not uncommon in other countries but in India, Pintado is the only brand that manufactures its own shoes in Agra and gets them painted in Goa, claims Pinto.
A graduate from Dhempe College, Pinto has witnessed struggles and ups and downs in life. Ultimately Pinto’s entrepreneurship efforts took shape of this walking dream, Pintado that not only rests on the shelves of his store but finds its way to people’s homes and hearts through Saturday night markets, pop up bazaars and exhibitions. The brand is now looking at various options for gr0wth.
