@MardelHoyo has shown her creative versatility as a film, television and theatre actress, and later as a creator of handcrafted glass and ceramic jewelry at @LevensJewels, with organic and experimental forms, without any mechanical mediation. Levens’ irregular and unique pieces could be seen at the historic SS2026 Carolina Herrera show, held at Plaza Mayor in Madrid.

What stage are you at professionally?

I had worked for fifteen years as an actress, dedicating myself solely to acting. Then I created my jewelry brand, Levens Jewels, and the two facets coexisted for a while. For some time now I’ve been completely focused on the brand. I have a lot of energy and sometimes I’m a bit absent-minded, but at the same time I have an obsessive side. If I really like something, I have a great ability to concentrate and fully commit to it to help it grow. And that’s what has happened to me with this Levens project.

How did the idea for the jewelry come about?

I had never had hobbies because I didn’t have time; for a period I lived between Barcelona and Madrid. I was preparing a theatre play here in Barcelona, and I signed up for ceramics classes; the previous summer I had met a ceramist, I made a pair of earrings with her and all my friends commented on them. In the classes I started making earrings, and it emerged in a very intuitive way without yet knowing where it was going. It kept gaining importance, and it increasingly resembled a full-time job. Orders came in, shops, the first showroom that represented me… In the end I needed to dedicate myself to it completely if I wanted to do it well.

How difficult is it to survive as an independent brand?

There is a logistical and financial side that is crucial, and not talked about much because it’s complicated and boring. Running a brand day to day, export difficulties, production conditions, payments, manual work, the price of materials, etc. I would like more fashion documentaries to focus on this transparency, to create greater awareness among customers. Through external perspectives and making things visible, people learn, and small business changes are also generated within the sector.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I like collaborating with other brands and artists, and continuing these synergies would be a dream. I did a collaboration for Carolina Herrera and it was a very enriching, very beautiful experience. It makes you grow and learn a lot. In the medium term I also want to diversify products, create objects and things for the home, expand the family a bit. Jewelry would remain the main focus, but for example I’ve now made some bags and I like continuing to experiment. And a third dream: to have a workshop-shop I’m proud of, my own space to receive clients.

What do you like most about jewelry?

That beyond the object itself, it has emotional value. When I was little my mother showed me her jewelry box, and it was like a treasure chest. Each piece had a family story. They are almost always connected to loved ones. Jewelry sits very close to us (earrings are on the face), they are intimate, they carry a very interesting emotional weight. As a child I already liked fashion, cinema and jewelry, dressing up, creating characters—hence my vocation as an actress. I always paid close attention to film costumes; they fascinated me.

What were your first aesthetic references?

As a teenager I loved Godard’s films, for example. Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, later the aesthetic of Almodóvar. At Moritz Feed Doc I would love an in-depth biography of Miuccia Prada, who fascinates me. She is an absolute reference. Always young, always lucid. I really like that she shows you can remain alert and attentive at any age, that if you have a strong point of view you don’t go out of fashion.