𝐒𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞 - 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞

de Grasse goes to Grasse 🥹🇫🇷

About 45 minutes outside of Nice is a little town I knew I had to see for myself while I was in France and honestly a major reason I went. Walking through streets with my own last name everywhere felt a little SURREAL like one of those random pieces of family history suddenly became real. So obviously I wanna share with y’all, and a lil family history lesson feels necessary.

Admiral François-Joseph-Paul de Grasse, my distant 8th great-grandfather, was a French naval commander who played a pretty major role in the American Revolution!! In 1781, his fleet defeated the British at the Battle of the Chesapeake, helping cut off reinforcements to Yorktown and contributing to the British surrender shortly after.
BASICALLY a long, roundabout way of saying… he helped win the war 🇺🇸 🦅🤠 SO yes, a French de Grasse helped America win independence lol.

And then there’s Grasse itself, what a beautiful city, the perfume capital of the world. The area became known for perfume production centuries ago thanks to its flowers, especially jasmine, roses, and orange blossom, and it’s still a huge part of the fragrance world today. The region grows and supplies to some major luxury brands, including houses like Chanel, Le Labo, and Dior, while also being home to historic perfume houses like Fragonard (my fav and what I am related to) Molinard, and Galimard.

There’s even a memorial to Admiral de Grasse there, so naturally… de Grasse had to go to Grasse.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

bonus: @alrides_ took me on my first motorcycle ride to and from the city, and honestly a 12/10 way to see and actually feel the countryside