While jetting from Milan to Paris to New York and working with the world's most prominent photographers, supermodel Petra Nemcova never thought about becoming an entrepreneur.
She left her home in the Czech Republic when she was 18 to pursue her dream career of modeling, quickly rising to prominence in the fashion world and landing on the covers of magazines like Elle, Glamour and Sports Illustrated.
Now 34, Nemcova is still active as a model, but she's moved on to new endeavors. She's a philanthropist, an ambassador-at-large for Haiti, her adopted home, and now a business owner.
"I think you have different dreams in different stages of your life," she said in an interview with The Huffington Post.
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Nemcova's first entrepreneurial venture is a luxury home decor brand called Be The Light. The initial line is a collection of fancy candles, each representing a piece of a different country's culture. The Czech Holiday Cookie scent, for example, is meant to convey the warm feeling that families experience when they get together for the holidays.
The $98 candles, which are made in the U.S., will be available at Bergdorf Goodman starting in August, as well as online. The line will also be sold in Neiman Marcus stores in the first quarter of 2014. Bergdorf Goodman currently sells a host of different luxury candles from brands like Jo Malone and Atelier Cologne and ranging from $28 to $445, presenting plenty of competition for Be The Light.
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The brand is also working on other luxury soft goods and accessories for the home, such as bed throws, pillows, vases, trays and picture frames.
"First we fill the room with the scent, and then with the treasures from different countries," Nemcova explained.
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