Alumni

Visual Communications Grad's Eco-Friendly Candle Line Has Celebrity Fans

Visual Communications Graduate Billy Del Puerto is the proprietor of HOUSE, an upscale candle line made from high quality essential and fragrance oils and U.S. grown soy wax. The eco-friendly line, which features clean and simple packaging, has been featured in Zink magazine and has fans in Britney Spears, Heather Graham, Brooke Candy, and Leah Remini, among others. "I wanted to create a high-end candle line that suggests a feeling before the scent is experienced," Billy explains of his candles which have names such as "Greenhouse," "Library," and "Violet Nirvana."

After graduating from FIDM in 2009, Billy worked for a small candle company that went out of business during the recession. "I worked a nine-to-five job to pay bills, but I wanted something that was my own, something that I had total design control of, so I took my work experience and my education and launched HOUSE," he says. He plans to expand HOUSE to a complete home decor company in the future.

Billy credits FIDM with helping him strike out on his own in 2013. "Every class I took at FIDM, from branding and marketing to stagecraft and product styling, has allowed me to launch and also run my own company. My instructors not only pushed the importance of perfection and creativity, but also the importance of networking and client relationships. Knowing how to anticipate what a client wants, how to talk to a client, and forecasting a upcoming trend is priceless. I have definitely taken a strong skill set away from FIDM."