How a Bookbinding Class in Italy Sparked 35 Years of Craft: Meet Ilira Steinman

Ilira Steinman fell for bookbinding during a workshop in Italy as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In her interview, the co-owner of Pawtucket-based Rag & Bone Bindery shared how a class abroad became a lifelong craft – and a family business.

What do you make, and what makes your approach distinctive?

The five skilled bookbinders in our studio work collaboratively to create each item. We make handcrafted photo albums, binders and journals to help customers preserve and organize what matters most. Traditional bookbinding techniques are combined with contemporary materials to create a unique heirloom-quality keepsake. Our custom foil embossing with hand-set brass type adds a personal touch, and our materials are archival and sustainably sourced.

How did you come to bookbinding, and when did it become a business?

As a student at RISD, I took a bookbinding workshop while studying in Italy. I fell in love with the process and craft and made books for friends and family. After gifting a handmade journal to my then-boyfriend, now husband, Jason, he was so taken with the process that he also began making journals by hand. Jason started the business that is now Rag & Bone Bindery in the corner of his Providence apartment in 1990, while I had my own artisan business making and selling women’s hats. As we moved from Providence to Boston to Pawtucket, the business grew – adding custom projects, wholesale accounts and trade shows. I officially joined the company in 1997, and we’ve been working together as co-owners ever since.

How does your work connect to community or tradition?

One of the things that I love about our business is that our products connect us to people at momentous times in their lives. Whether they are celebrating a milestone event, creating a special tribute album, honoring a lost loved one, or creating a home for a treasured family collection – it’s beautiful to see (and easy to forget in these chaotic times) that folks love and care for each other very much. It brings us a lot of joy that we can take a small part in helping people preserve and share their stories.

We are also proud to be stewards of the craft of bookbinding and to continue the tradition of manufacturing that started here in Pawtucket, RI.

What are you most excited about right now?

Because we are primarily e-commerce, hundreds of different projects are passing through the studio in a given time. We’ve been enjoying working on custom projects with other creative professionals to help them build branded promotional materials for their businesses that reflect their aesthetic and style.

What’s something about running a creative business you wish more people understood?

I think the primary misconception about running a creative business is that you are making, designing and creating most of the time. We are an artisan-based business, but we spend the majority of our time working in digital spaces – analyzing data and metrics, updating our website and Etsy shop, communicating with our vendors and providing customer service at all hours of the day!

What’s the most useful piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their creative business?

Surround yourself with people who inspire you and create a network of like-minded creative business owners with whom you can bounce ideas off and share information.

What brings you joy outside of your work?

I’m an avid reader, I enjoy long walks in nature, and I love to see art in museums and galleries, and to spend time with my beautiful family and friends.

What do you love about working and living in Rhode Island?

For business, I love how the smallness of our state makes connections happen quickly. As for living, my favorite thing is being close to the water!

Thanks, Ilira! You can learn more about Rag & Bone Bindery at www.ragandbonebindery.com.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.