Born on 29th august 1883 in Saumur, a little village in the northeast daughter of Albert Chanel, a street vendor and Eugenie Jeanne Deville, a peasant. She had an older sister, Julia Berthe and four younger siblings: Alphonse, Antoinette, Lucien and Augustin, who died soon after being born.
Her first years of life were rough. They lived under very precarious conditions and she was only 11 years old, her mother died of bronchitis. Her dad decided to give his kids adoption. The boys went with. a host family of peasants and the girls to the orphanage of the Congregation of the sacred heart of Mary, in the Monastery of Aubazije, of the Centre of the country. There she learnt how to sew, embroider and iron.
When she turned 18, she was sent to a religious boarding school in the town of Marlins.
She soon found a job helping a local dressmaker and during her free time she started going to Cafe- cabarets, where she participated in small music shows.
However, she would soon forget about that artistic project when she found out she didn't really have a good voice. So she decided to go back to her old job. There she met, Etienne Baisan, they fell in love and moved together to the Royallieu Castle, in the north of Paris. The relationship came to an end, but in 1908, Coco met one of her life partners, the English captain Arthur Edward Capel.
Even tho they never made their relationship official, they were very close to each other. Arthur believed so much in Coco's talent that he helped her fund her first stores in Paris. She started asking hats for fun, which she later showed in social hurts such as horse racing.
In 1913, she opened her second one in Deauville on the coast of Normandy, where she also sold casual luxury clothes.
Coco Chanel's designs stood out for breaking with the opulence of the times creating a line of simple and comfortable clothes, keeping their elegance.
In 1915, she opened a new store in the luxurious coastal city Biaartiz next to the Spanish border, she earned enough money to give back to her couple of investors.
In 1916, after she had established her fashion house with more than 300 employees she started selling her clothes in the big store in the USA.
But in 1919, she suffered a hard setback we Arthur Cape with whom she had been together for about ten years dies in a car accident.1919 Coco created her first perfume, channel Number 5. Fun fact: In the 50s, Megastar Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to bed and she replied, “Chanel No. 5”.
Based on jasmine, the bottle was also designed by Coco herself. finding inspiration in the dress battles Arthur used. It was a total success and she soon signed its distribution with Pierre Wertheimer, director of the Bourjois Perfume and cosmetics House. However, the conditions of the contract were quite abusive and Coco had to fight for years to have control of the commercialization of her other fragrances back.
Despite humble beginnings as an underprivileged orphan with no formal schooling whatsoever, Coco Chanel built aristocratic connections while working odd jobs and founded the legendary fashion house in 1910 in Paris. The Maison, or rather Coco herself is known for being a pioneer. Many of today’s definitions of good taste date back to the house.
Chanel is credited with product innovations that deeply affect modern life and fashion to this day:
Popularizing wearing black for occasions other than funerals – Before Chanel incorporated it into her hat and apparel designs, black was reserved for servants and funerals. It is speculated that she was inspired by the nuns’ attire from her orphanage.
Removing the corset from western women’s attire – Just a hundred years ago, women would suffocate themselves to cinch their waists. Although couturier Jean Patou first made a dress without corsets, Chanel popularized it. For this reason, in fashion, it’s often stated that ‘Chanel liberated women.’
The invention of the Little Black Dress – Wearing a fitting black dress might be a go-to for all western-clothing-clad women today. But it was Coco who invented it, removing uncomfortable frills, corsets, and laces from women’s clothing.
Using jersey fabric for comfortable clothes – Often considered her single biggest innovation, Chanel brought jersey fabric from men’s athletic wear to modern high fashion.
The invention of the hands-free bag – Coco invented the hand-free sling bag to further free women from the hassles of being tied down physically. The iconic 2.55 bag was the first of its kind to allow women to go about their day without worrying about holding their bags.
Today, Chanel has a diverse portfolio of haute couture, ready-to-wear womenswear, accessories, watches, cosmetics, and perfumes.
Much like Chanel, Pierre Cardin was a legendary couturier, known for high fashion. However, fast overexposure and expansion to unrelated categories such as stationery diluted his brand quickly. This resulted in reducing his brand equity from luxury to premium permanently. Chanel on the other hand, went to great lengths to ensure exclusivity.
Thanks to her contacts she accessed the high classes of the British society, where she met the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Richard,
Arthur Grosvenor. She was in a relationship with him for ten years.
She was asked that he had. A lot of duchess of Westminster bit there is only one channel.
In 1931, she took a new leap in her career when she travelled to Hollywood and Singed a contract with Metro and Goldwyn Mayer to dress the heat stars of the time like Gloria Season, great gobo or Marlene Dietrich.
However, her designs didn't convince the cinematic mecca they were looking for something more sumptuous and Coco herself was left disgusted by their bad taste.
In 1954, she came back and reopens the high fashion house.
Little by little Coco Chanel was able to come back to the Olympus of fashion. Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Maria Callous, Audrey Hepburn became the ambassadors of her style.
She created "Pour Monsieur" Chanel's first men's fragrance and she also took to work with precious metals designing her line of heels and costume jewellery.
Towards the end of her last year, she isolated herself and was only available to close friends and family. In 1971 while working on a spring collection, she suffered a heart attack.
Coco Chanel's contribution to the fashion world and the looks of several generations is evident.
She proved elegance can go hand with pragmatism and comfort providing women with lots of freedom when it came to dressing.
And sure her style will be out there in the shop window for a long time.
In addition to placing its cosmetics in accessible department stores frequented by young buyers, Chanel recently launched a free virtual lip-scanner app. The app lets you choose a colour from your surrounding, find a match from the Chanel catalogue and try it on virtually. This step is one of many taken by the brand to engage its newly independent Gen Z customer base.In addition to placing its cosmetics in accessible department stores frequented by young buyers, Chanel recently launched a free virtual lipscanner app. The app lets you choose a colour from your surrounding, find a match from the Chanel catalogue and try it on virtually. This step is one of many taken by the brand to engage its newly independent Gen Z customer base.
The legacy continues;
Despite being 100 years old, Chanel manages to keep cementing its positioning as elegant and modern. Its logo’s crossing C’s are instantly recognizable. Its choice of celebrities continues to embody classic style with a unique personality; counting Penelope Cruz and Margot Robbie among its brand ambassadors.
Its runway shows are a spectacle at the Grand Palais in Paris, with sets ranging from a giant supermarket to sandy beaches. Chanel’s brand stays true to its French roots. Most of all, it continues to inspire women through style, just as Coco herself did in her lifetime. Remarkably, it has succeeded in achieving synergy between the old and the new with its marketing.
The legacy continues.....................
Despite being 100 years old, Chanel manages to keep cementing its positioning as elegant and modern. Its logo’s crossing C’s are instantly recognizable. Its choice of celebrities continues to embody classic style with a unique personality; counting Penelope Cruz and Margot Robbie among its brand ambassadors.
Its runway shows are a spectacle at the Grand Palais in Paris, with sets ranging from a giant supermarket to sandy beaches. Chanel’s brand stays true to its French roots. Most of all, it continues to inspire women through style, just as Coco herself did in her lifetime. Remarkably, it has succeeded in achieving synergy between the old and the new with its marketing.
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