COCO CHANEL

Coco ChanelReal name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel - was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. Born in Saumur, Southern France on August 19, 1883.

Chanel was known for her lifelong determination, ambition, and energy which she applied to her professional and social life. She achieved both success as a businesswoman and social prominence thanks to the connections she made through her work.

BASIC HISTORYThe Chanel family did not have money, and they lived in a poor house on a narrow street. When Gabrielle was only 12 her mother died, leaving her father with five children. He soon left leaving Gabrielle with two sisters and two brothers. Gabrielle and her sisters went to an orphanage and her brothers went to a farm and became child labors. Gabrielle stayed in the orphanage for six years.

SCHOOL Coco Chanel’s only education was at an orphanage called Etienne d' Aubazine, this orphanage only taught 6 days a week. She only learned how to become a basic seamstress at this school. She learned more technique and style from her family such as Aunt's.

Career/Life PathGabrielle adopted the name “Coco” during a brief stint as a singer in cafes and concert halls. While working at a tailoring shop she met and soon began an affair with Etienne Balsan.Coco left Etienne and took over his apartment in Paris. Coco Chanels first shop was a hat shop, which was open in 1908. Two wealthy men helped her open this shop. Her simple hats became very famous. She soon started clothing.

Products Chanel sellsIts products include beauty and skin care products, cosmetics, eyewear, jewelry, perfumes and deodorants, handbags, shoes, scarves, ties, and clothing.

Chanel 2.55The Chanel 2.55 is a luxury leather handbag or purse manufactured by the fashion house of Chanel. In the 1920s, Coco Chanel became tired of having to carry her handbags in her arms and decided to design a handbag that freed up her hands. After her successful comeback to the fashion industry in 1954, Chanel decided to update her handbag. The resulting design was called 2.55 after the date of creation, February 1955.

Chanel No. 5In the 1920s Chanel launched her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a designer’s name. “Perfume is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,” Chanel once explains . Chanel estimates that a bottle us sold worldwide every 55 seconds.

The Little Black DressAfter the jersey suit, the concept of the little black dress is often cited as a Chanel contribution to the fashion lexicon and as an article of clothing survives to this day. The dress was fashionable, yet comfortable and practical because it was stripped of all excess. American edition of Vogue predicted it would "become sort of a uniform for all women of taste”.

Chanel’s clothing idea’s Coco designed this dress using a

jersey fabric--which was, stunning. She always used pearls, jewels, and lace to turn an ordinary item of clothing into an extraordinary piece of art. Chanel later created the women's business suits, which turned the fashion industry upside down. Chanel did something no one else had ever tried to do. She used men’s clothing and turned it into a unique fashion.

To this day Chanel has expanded its line to include women's fashions, jewelry and accessories, handbags, leather goods, and other products. While its products are sold through third parties, Chanel also operates its own network of more than 80 company-owned retail stores worldwide. There are also more than 120 Chanel shop-in-shop boutiques in leading department stores around the world.

Nowadays the head designer and creative director of the fashion house Chanel is Karl Lagerfeld.