Coco Chanel was a fashion icon of the twentieth century. She is most famous for creating women’s fashion and accessories that were less constricting and more comfortable than previous styles. Her timeless classics, the Chanel suit, and the “little black dress” changed the idea of ladies’ fashion.
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born in a small French town in 1883. Her parents had five children and lived in poverty. When Gabrielle was 12 years old, her mother died of bronchitis. Unable to care for his family, Gabrielle’s father sent his two sons to work on a farm and his three daughters to an orphanage run by nuns. It was at the convent orphanage that Gabrielle learned to sew.
Gabrielle Chanel dreamed of becoming an actress or singer and traveled throughout France as a young woman. She earned the nickname “Coco” from one of the songs she sang or, as she liked to say, from the French word “cocette” or kept woman.
Coco met many influential people along her travels. In 1910 she opened her first boutique in Deuville, France with the help of some financiers, where she worked as a milliner and sold hats. Successful, she opened a second store in Biarritz and finally, in 1918, she opened a store on the fashionable Rue Cambon in Paris. She expanded her merchandise to include clothing and eventually accessories and, in 1920, she released her iconic perfume, Chanel No. 5.
Chanel rose from humble beginnings to create one of the worlds greatest fashion houses through her diligence, creativity and social connections. She transformed women’s apparel from corseted Victorian fashion into comfortable yet luxurious and classic style.