Miriam Quevedo is the CEO of the Spanish haircare and cosmetics line which shares her name. Courtesy of Miriam Quevedo
Miriam Quevedo is the CEO of the Spanish haircare and cosmetics line which shares her name. Courtesy of Miriam Quevedo

My luxury life: Miriam Quevedo



The creator and CEO of the luxury Spanish haircare and cosmetics line which shares her name, Miriam Quevedo has achieved worldwide success with her innovative products that harness the properties of precious ingredients such as gold, caviar and diamonds.

Her collection was the official haircare line used at this year's Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

If you could wake up anywhere else in the world tomorrow, where would it be?

In a beautiful place in the Costa Brava, Barcelona, where the blue of the Mediterranean Sea melts with the green of the mountains.

How would you arrive?

By car or on foot.

You're sitting down to the perfect dinner. What are you eating, where are you dining and who is with you?

A multicoloured salad with different kinds of crisp lettuce, home-smoked salmon drizzled with olive oil from the south of Spain and accompanied with a delicious marmalade made of red fruits and tomato, on a beautiful terrace in an avant-garde, designer restaurant made of stone from the year 1900, surrounded by lots of candles. I'd be with my husband.

Where is the best service you have ever experienced?

There have been many, but something that comes to mind is my latest trip to Asia, where the culture is truly based on service and hospitality, although Dubai was also an amazing experience in terms of service as well as experiencing a new culture.

What would make a luxury beauty treatment or spa experience for you?

A revitalising and detox programme that needs a whole morning, in a place where there is no internet coverage, and with views of a natural park. There's a spa in the Pyrenees built by the Romans where there still exist natural hot springs inside the mountain. The water is so pure it has never seen the sun.

What was your first luxury purchase?

A pair of beautiful limited edition shoes by Jimmy Choo.

What is your most treasured possession?

One of my most important treasures is a mantón de manila, a traditional shawl made of hand-embroidered raw silk. It is an heirloom that belonged to my great grandmother and is considered an "antique" because of the material it is made of, the colour and designs of the embroidery, the tassels and the texture of the silk.

What excites you about your work?

That there constantly are new goals to reach.

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

I am not a collector per se, but I like objects that have a sentimental connection. For example, I always try to take a "memory" from my travels - a figure or an object made by hand. Oh, I also keep all the drawings made by my two daughters from when they were little.

In terms of your wardrobe, do you have a regular go-to designer?

Not especially. It depends a lot on the style of that season, but I always fall in love with well-cut trousers and the style of the finishing. One of the Spanish designers I like is Amaya Arzuaga. Do you have a favourite shop or shopping district? Las Ramblas, Paseo de Gracia or Paseo del Borne in Barcelona. I like places in the open air.

What are you reading right now?

El Tiempo Entre Costuras by María Dueñas.

What's the most played on your iPod right now?

Music from many artists, from Nací en el Mediterráneo to Joan Manuel Serrat to Gotye with his Somebody That I Used to Know.

What has been the highlight or proudest moment of your career so far?

When we appeared in the Spanish media because of the success of our export contributions. We felt so proud that we'd achieved this as a family business.

In terms of quality or longevity of use, what has been your smartest purchase?

My engagement ring, but it was gifted to me.

What, in your opinion, is the most overrated luxury?

Products without soul that are not able to awaken any form of sentiment.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE

There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.

It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.

What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.

When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.

It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.

This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.

It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.

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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

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