LUMA GROTHE – AHEAD OF HER TIME

LUMA GROTHE – AHEAD OF HER TIME

The face of the new perfume Olympea Blossom by Paco Rabanne, tells us about being a model, starting an acting career and her relationship with perfume.

If you could define yourself in three words, what would you chose?

To define myself I would chose the words: honest, creative and kind.

As a little girl, how did you picture yourself growing up?
When I was a little girl I thought I would be a scientist- ballerina- rockstar, all at once! I wanted to work for NASA or live in Hawaii. I never thought I would be in Paris like right now, doing amazing projects for feminism, working as a model and going to acting school. But even though it wasn’t my plan, I am very proud of everything that has happened in my life and the woman I have become.

Do you remember the moment everything changed?
I am not sure there was a specific moment… when you are a little girl you dream of the impossible, you want to do everything! Growing up my life took me this way. I was very going with the flow, always a happy girl following my instinct and my intuition.

What is the tip that you would have liked to be given when you first started as a model?
As a young model I would have like to be told that being a model is not just having a beautiful face. We have a voice and we need to use it. To truly inspire others we need to use our voice. Being a model is not about the way you look. Also, I wish that someone would have told me first how much power our thoughts have and how to manifest what we want with thoughts.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I am going to continue to do what I love, basically everything I am doing right now because it makes me so happy! I am living a very well balanced life, I am very connected to myself now and to the people around me, I am creating art… Well, one dream that I have for the next five years is to finish a series of feminist short films. I’ve started script-writing, acting and directing and I love writing short films. I want to inspire people for equality.

You’ve started acting classes, what did you learn about yourself?
Acting teaches me how to live every moment really truthfully and how to stay present all the time. It also teaches how to listen to others. Because in life, so many times, we don’t really listen to other people, we just think about what we are going to say next. Acting makes you stay present and become a better human being for the people around you. Acting has taught me a lot about myself, I have discovered parts of myself I never knew existed…

Which part of yourself did you discover with acting?
I am way more sensitive than I thought I was. I always thought that I was free, fun and I could move on quickly… it didn’t matter if people broke my heart! But it’s not like that at all. I’ve realized that I am very, very sensitive indeed… I am very human in that sense.

What do you do when you are having a bad day?
When I am having a bad day, I light up a candle and take a bath because water and especially the sound of water helps me think. I take a deep breath and I always connect with… not many people understand that but I connect with my inner goddess. Your inner goddess is the one that always knows everything is going to be ok when you look for answers inside yourself. Everyone has one!

Your relationship with Paco Rabanne starts back in 2015 with the launch of Olympea. What has been this journey like?
Actually it started back in 2014! It makes me emotional sometimes to think of this journey, because I was so young and so shy. Paco Rabanne is a huge part of my path to womanhood. By embodying Olympea I was able to find this goddess inside of me and I became this powerful woman; confident, knowing myself more and knowing what I want… this journey has been incredible, it really dictated the woman I have become.

How can you describe the Olympea Blossom woman?

The Olympea Blossom woman is a woman who is beautiful from the inside. She is very confident, happy with who she is and comfortable in her skin. She is the kind of woman you want to be around…because her energy is contagious!

Do you remember your blossoming moment?

I had many I think, but my first blossoming moment was the day I decided to leave my hometown and discover the world. I was 15 and I asked my parents to sign an emancipation letter because I wanted to be a model and travel the world. It took so much courage and strength from me, it was definitely a blossoming moment.

Who are the women that inspired you the most in your life and has helped you out with your personal blossoming?

The women that inspired me the most in my life are my sisters and my mother, they always held space for me and gave me the love I needed to move forward. Outside of my family, the woman who inspires me is Jane Fonda. Yes, I am a fan! She really inspires me through her work, her activism and her art, she is a role model.

Is connecting to other women a big part of your life?

Yes it is, very much. I love this connection that women have, like a sisterhood. I like to hear stories about women and discuss ideas how to empower one another. I think women together are much stronger, you know one woman alone can make a lot of changes but imagine hundreds of women together? We are unstoppable if we are together, connected.

You are very vocal about your feminist activism and use your influence to share a message of empowerment to women all around the world. How important is it to you?

Feminism activism is my mission in life! It’s personal but I think it’s important to tell the story: I grew up in a very patriarchal family where the men always had the last word even though the women in the family are extremely intelligent, always reading, always studying, always researching… the fact that we couldn’t be so vocal had a lot of implications later on, in our life. In my opinion, the world has to be more a little bit more equal and fair to women. We have a lot of power and a lot of resilience so the more equality we have in society, the more women there will be in the government or in important positions there will be.

Is working as a model had an influence on your feminism activism?

Absolutely, on set I work very hard to never have this competitive environment between us women. I always bring up the subject and make sure we are empowering each other. I think we are so late already in comparison to men in society. For example, we know big positions in companies are held mostly by men, so we don’t have time to compete with one another. We have to really be together. This is something I’ve realized few years ago and I’ve started to make some changes.

The new Olympea Blossom is a floral chypre, the first one of the whole Olympea range, with hints of Turkish rose and spicy notes. What are your thoughts on this new scent?

I love the new scent, it’s really nice. The skin feels warm in a way, almost sun-kissed because of the spicy notes. I love the feeling of it and I love perfume, so I use it a lot.

So because you love perfume what is your relationship with perfume? Where, when and how do you apply it?

I use perfume all the time! Even to go to sleep with it! I spray it on my chest before going to bed and it makes me feel happy, having a nice smell gives me good dreams! People remember you by your fragrance, I have a lot of memories attached to fragrances, that’s why I use it a lot.