Published: 2022-12-12 ǀ Updated: 2023-05-29
Coco Chanel Biography
Coco Chanel (* August 19, 1883, in Saumur, Pays de la Loire as Gabrielle Chasnel; † January 10, 1971, in Paris) is considered a pioneer of a revolutionary women's fashion, who was to shape the fashion history of modern women like no other. Chanel's fashion trademarks include the "little black dress," collarless tweed jackets and suits, gold buttons, handbags with straps made of metallic chain links, long pearl necklaces, and gold jewelry. Chanel manifested Paris as the international center of fashion at an early age, and was considered an outstanding style icon of her time even at a young age.
Vita
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1883
Chanel is born in a poorhouse in Saumur on the Loire (Anjou) as the daughter of the peddler Henri-Albert Chasnel and the laundress Eugénie Jeanne Devolle.
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After the death of her mother, Gabrielle — as she was officially called — moves to an orphanage at the age of 12, where she trains as a seamstress. Here she lives until she comes of age. In the following years, the young Chanel struggles to make ends meet as a clerk in a trousseau and baby goods store and as a seamstress.
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1906
Chanel meets Etienne Balsan, a member of the French upper class. She follows him to the Royallieu estate as his mistress and, in this sophisticated environment, creates clothes to match this lifestyle. It is here that she met the Brit Arthur Capel.
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1909
Chanel opens a hat studio in Paris. The simple, modern creations quickly made their way into the fashion magazines of the time via Parisian personalities.
Coco Chanel Hats -
1910
She opens a hat atelier at 21, rue Cambon in Paris.
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1913
Chanel opens a fashion boutique in the seaside resort of Deauville. The store bears the name Chanel's Fashion, the year 1913 is still considered the founding year of the Chanel company.
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1915
The designer runs fashion salons in Paris, Deauville and Biarritz, which quickly achieve notoriety for a new functional fashion without ornamentation.
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1916
Chanel already employs 300 seamstresses, and American Vogue dubs her designs the "epitome of elegance."
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1918
The opening of a haute couture salon at 31, Rue Cambon. The location remains the center of her creative work until the end of her life.
31 Rue Cambon -
1921
The legendary perfume Chanel N°5 launches.
Chanel N°5 -
1924
Chanel founds the initially independent perfume division Parfums Chanel in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
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1932
Chanel's world-famous customer base includes Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo.
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During the German occupation, Chanel had an affair with Nazi functionary Günther von Dincklage and worked as an agent for the German Reich. (Handelsblatt)
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1944–1954
After the war she is arrested as a collaborator, but due to her contacts, she is released and lives with von Dincklage in Lausanne (FAZ)
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1954
She returns to the fashion industry with the tweed costume, which becomes a sales hit with international stars such as Grace Kelly and Romy Schneider. In addition to his ownership of the perfume division, her business partner Pierre Wertheimer is also given 100% of the shares in the fashion company to prevent Chanel from going it alone.
Grace Kelly Tweed -
1961
Coco creates the "Little Black Dress" that celebrates its greatest success with Audrey Hepburn in the rom-com "Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)". The design of the globally popular black sheath dress dates back to 1926.
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1965
Chanel established the Fondation CoGa, based in Liechtenstein, which would later become the sole heir to the designer's fortune.
Little Black Dress -
1971
After Chanel's death, the fashion house loses its luster until 1983, when Karl Lagerfeld joins as designer.
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1974
Alain and Gerard Wertheimer become the sole owners of Chanel.
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1990
Claudia Schiffer becomes a model for Lagerfeld's Chanel collections.
Trivia
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The nickname Coco probably comes from a time when Gabrielle performed as a singer at the Grand Café in the garrison town of Moulins, where she preferred to perform the songs Qui qu'a vu Coco? and Ko-Ko-Ri-Ko. Military personnel present called her Coco after a while. (Telegraph )
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From 1937, Chanel stayed in a 2-room suite at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where she also died in 1971. Her apartment above the studio at 31, rue Cambon had no bedroom.