« There are many texts that have changed my life. There are the text message conversations I had with my family when Mom had her accident. Later, there were the ones we sent to each other when we were taking turns at my father's bedside. There’s the song Ma fille sung by Serge Reggiani, which Dad played at high volume at home when he wanted us all to calm down. There's the letter I received from a publisher I didn’t know, that launched a writing project with my two sisters. There are all those books. All the stories, the poems, the characters, literary memories I collect in a notebook. All that. All those little texts that changed me. |
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Letter sent by Nicolas to Margaux, from France to the United States (2022). |
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And then there's a letter, a love letter. It was this text that changed my life. It was from the father of the child I am now carrying. Handwritten and sent from France to the United States, where I was celebrating Christmas with my sisters. First, the very act of doing that at all, then the words themselves. |
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The letter described the love that was growing in us, between us, thanks to us. Simple, healthy words, wise and calm. There was no romantic certainty, no cookie-cutter promises, no love bombs, just a simple observation: we were living a new love. It wasn't destabilizing, frightening, or breathtaking. We had butterflies of reassurance. Absolute clarity. I've always believed that love should be passionate, overwhelming, confusing, loud, extravagant. That without all that, it wasn't real, that it was boring, uncertain, limp. But that was before. Before I met him, his spirit, his acts, his words. I was so wrong. We build love ourselves. It's possible to love without hurting oneself, without hurting the other person, without noise, without tears, without losing oneself. Intensity comes from exchange, from intimacy. |
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I discovered that respect was not a privilege, and that along with gentleness, they were non-negotiable. Staying on the surface of things doesn’t protect you from anything – or rather, it only protects the surface. |
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Thanks to him, I realized how far I'd come in terms of what I'd allowed to happen. In consent. In the ‘yes, buts’, the ‘what ifs’; in the big speeches and small gestures, just crossing the fine line between what’s normal and what’s toxic. Thanks to him, I'm stronger and braver, and I no longer put up with what I used to put up with, without realizing. |
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I've met true love. It’s in the excitement and surprise, in the words hidden all around, in the little signs that line up, in the time taken and presence, in the unasked ‘do you love me?’ and the absence of doubts, in consideration and care, in the ability to question oneself; in imagination, creativity, taste, sensitivity, bravery. With this letter, I felt seen, understood, listened to, respected for who I am and not for the idea people might have of me. With this man, I wanted to start a family. Not because of some vision of the ideal life, a goal to achieve, a box to tick, a dearly held dream, but because of him. My partner, my clarity. |
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« He had no wish to play the all-powerful role of savior. And I didn't have to be the lifebuoy clinging to him. He knew how to trust me. I was going to save myself. » |
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I realized that healthy, mature love was knocking at my door, that I deserved it, and that I'd spent years thinking just the opposite. I was ready to welcome absolute trust, curiosity and selfless tenderness. I have a deep admiration for him and a never-ending sense of wonder: in the way he is and the way he interacts with the world, in the way he connects and honors it, in his depth of character. He teaches me to be better, stronger and more generous, more confident and true to myself. |
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I found my partner, my soul mate, my equal: magnificent and terribly exciting. Together, we created, imagined and invented our own balance. Since then, we've been dancing between naivety and wisdom, laughter and silence. All around us are beauty, wonder, learning, desire and patience. Between those lines on a page, I met the love of my life. Love in his acts. In our soon-to-be-born child. I could never have imagined writing this text even a few years ago. » |
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Lately, at PLUME Nike • We interviewed athletes Colin Kaepernick, Caster Semenya and Mo Farah at the TRACK. SOUND. SPACE. installation by Paulin Paulin Paulin. Kilian Paris • We revamped the tone and editorial content of the perfumery brand’s newsletters. Barbara Bui x PSG • The designer dresses the PSG women’s football (soccer) players. Alongside Fabien Allègre, she tells us about herself in an extensive press release with our special touch. Ykone • To celebrate the influencer marketing agency’s 15th anniversary, PLUME is developing a paper project to be released soon. Evaneos • We dream up a series of newsletters revolving around travel. The latest one? “Life-size exploration”. Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle • For the festive holidays, PLUME composes five newsletters in the form of five gift ideas. |
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