Lucerna Planta candles are designed to spark inspiration
The ”Peaceful Warrior“ embodies women who are “bold, brilliant, & a force to be recokoned with.”
When Ali Miller was considering starting Lucerna Planta candles, her friend and mentor Molly Fienning, cofounder of Babiators and Red Clay Hot Sauce, told her, “If it’s 80 percent of what you want, just launch it. Go for it. See if it elicits the response that you want, then you can improve it.”
So in 2018, Miller launched Lucerna Planta—plant-based, soy candles with empowering names such as “Peaceful Warrior,” “Change Maker,” and “Defendress” and scents inspired by influential women in her life. Twenty percent of the profits are donated to a nonprofit that aligns with the candle’s intention (proceeds from the “Peaceful Warrior” candle go to the Malala Fund, which fights for education for girls around the world). In the beginning, the former Candlefish employee designed her own labels and poured the candles in her kitchen. “The idea and the intention behind it, people loved,” Miller says. “The interest was there. People were buying them.”
A year later, Miller, who works full time as Charleston Wine + Food’s event director, has relaunched her candle line with more refined packaging details. She worked with local designer Brelyn LeCheminant to create a logo depicting a woman’s face circled by plants and with Liz MacPherson of Mac & Murphy to design the crisp white boxes. For now, the candles are available at Miller Gallery, Pure Barre, and pop-ups, as well as Miller’s website while she grows her retail strategy. “It’s been fun building a world around these stories, these women,” Miller says, noting there’s plenty of opportunity for growth. “I can keep adding to this collection. What other types of inspiring women’s stories need to be heard?”
