After being personally affected by a tsunami in Thailand, supermodel and philanthropist Petra Nemcova sought to help those involved in ongoing natural disasters. In 2012, we co-founded Be The Light New York by Petra Nemcova as the solution to aid her foundation, All Hands and Hearts First Response, dedicated to bringing volunteers together to provide effective and rapid support to communities devastated by natural disasters worldwide. Be The Light is a luxury home décor lifestyle brand inspired by Petra’s travels and experiences. It is designed to donate a percentage of proceeds to the foundation while taking consumers on a passionate journey around the world without leaving the comforts of their home.

Carefully hand-selected details, from ingredients and textures to spices and flowers, were arranged from some of the most enchanting destinations to launch the sensory product experience. Hand-designed and manufactured in partnership with Nest Fragrances, we launched our candle collection exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman for the 2014 holiday season. Within 9 months from launch, our products were available in Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Gracious Home, and seven different countries around the world. Our proceeds to date have helped rebuild over 178 schools in 13 years, still aiding first responders to rebuild homes and schools through the brand’s core theme of “Discover. Learn. Connect.” that brings these two entities together on one mission for the world and its people.

“Rocketdog has been a valued partner to my foundation since 2010 and in 2012 I launched Be The Light New York with Christian as my co-founder. As a creative studio they are committed to strategic and creative brand excellence. Their positive approach to branding, marketing, and packaging has always been a pleasure because they are able to visualize and articulate my ideas before I even have them.” — Petra Nemcova, Co-Founder, Be The Light New York