We caught Rubina as she was personally delivering a few orders as part of the running of her business: “what defines a successful entrepreneur is having a strong heart,” she shared with us: “and having a lot of time for your customers. It is also important to be true to yourself, authentic and hardy.” Rubina is the founder of multi-award winning Jack Harvey London: an upscale décor brand specialising in the sector of hospitality within the area of sensory comfort: whether it be designer diffusers, natural candles, luscious room sprays or stunning jewellery. Inspired by the loss of her sister and father to cancer, Rubina has created an incredibly successful business based around a moving cause. Her products are a celebration of life: radiating a devoted nurture and light that can be physically felt.
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“I couldn’t save loved ones at the time as the cures were not available – this is my way of helping them in a way I could not before. Cancer is a particularly rough condition to undergo, and I wanted to be able to contribute to that journey somehow. My desire is to uplift people and smell and sight are very evocative.” Rubina first started off by selling diffusers at her children’s school fair as her “sister, Salima, loved the smell of flowers.” Rubina supports Breast Cancer as well as other charities such as Child Bereavement and helped provide PPE during the breakout of Covid-19 to many nurses and doctors. The hard-working businesswoman has then predominantly grown Jack Harvey London through her effervescent luminous character. Currently battling a non-cancerous liver condition, she commented: “I am on a cocktail of treatment, including chemo and steroids, which I will be on for a lifetime just to keep my liver from failing. The disease is called autoimmune hepatitis. However, I am just rolling with it and embracing who I am completely.” Rubina’s ornamental enterprise provides the signature scent for London Hilton on Park Lane, a few Michelin-starred restaurants such as Le Gavroche and Atul Kochhar and the Hare Krishna Mandir.
She also boasts high-profile private customers and was once told that George Clooney loved one of the smells! “My favourite scent in the collection is Angel though all the fragrances are my babies - it was designed specifically after my sister. The grief when she passed away was deep. It was relatively early in life. My father was older and his death was more expected in a way – part of the natural cycle of life.” Rubina further promotes commemoration through platforming body positivity: one of the survivors of the 1990 Indian plane crash, who suffered third-degree burns, is currently her brand ambassador. Rubina ultimately demonstrates that what defines a successful business is unique passion that stirringly resonates.
How have you found balancing work with motherhood?
Extremely challenging: having babies during the time when my brand exploded was really something. I went into labour while attending a social event! But you have the drive as you want to be a role model for your kids and show them that they can really have it all.
Recently, I have been feeling a little unwell due to the liver condition and it has meant I haven’t been able to give myself as much as love – now I do a lot of self-care, including going for a walk for an hour every day and emotionally practising self-compassion.
What is a valuable piece of advice for achieving a strong brand?
Tell a sincere story e.g. I have turned real hardship into positive motivation. In terms of going into the business of scents etc specifically, this organically keeps people coming back because they feel good.
I: @myjackharvey_