A Promise to Return to My Origins

 

I am the grandson of a nomadic people. My grandparents left their homeland during the time of civil war, carrying with them the soul of Kazakhstan, etched into their stories, their songs, and their memories. Yet I had never set foot on those vast steppes whose grandeur my mother, a professor of literature, so often evoked.

 

During the global lockdown, when the world stood still, I made a promise - to discover the country that lived within me. In 2021, with nothing but a backpack in hand, I embarked on my journey to Almaty.

 

 

A Land, A Revelation

 

Those four weeks in Kazakhstan felt like a rebirth. I wandered through snow-capped mountains beneath a summer sun, rode horseback across the boundless steppes, and felt the wind carry the scent of cedars and wormwood in an embrace of uncanny familiarity. I discovered a culture of rare hospitality, a craftsmanship of exquisite refinement, and a generosity that was profoundly sincere. But above all, I encountered the echo of my ancestors.

 

The people I met were intrigued by this “French Kazakh born in China.” Despite my diverse origins, Kazakh culture coursed through my veins, passed down through the stories and poetry of my mother. That journey awakened in me an irresistible desire - to capture this essence, to embody it, and to share it with the world.

 

 

The Birth of Tolegen

 

Upon my return to France, inspired by this personal odyssey, I decided to create Tolegen, a haute parfumerie house. This name, which is my own, also belongs to a valiant warrior from a great Kazakh epic. Through Tolegen, I seek to tell stories in scent - tales where noble materials and Kazakh artisanal traditions meet French excellence.

 

Each fragrance is an invitation to journey through steppes perfumed with wormwood, to feel the crisp air of the mountains, to immerse oneself in traditions and emotions that have so profoundly shaped me. Tolegen is an ode to roots, to memory, and to the poetry of the human soul.

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Tolegen, Between Two Worlds

 

Tolegen is more than a perfumery - it is a bridge between East and West, a celebration of artisanal craftsmanship, and a tribute to the timeless beauty of cultures. Each creation tells a story, an emotion, a fragment of this transformative journey.

 

Join me on this sensory adventure, and let yourself be carried away by fragrances that speak of freedom, heritage, and elegance.