On August 19, 1883, an icon was born. Gabrielle Chanel, also known as Coco, was the founder of the French fashion house, CHANEL. In 1910, Coco opened CHANEL MODES, the very first CHANEL shop. CHANEL MODES was located at 21 Rue Cambon in Paris, and was later expanded to 31 Rue Cambon. The small hat boutique sold a wide variety of hats worn by well-known French actresses of the era.
After this, in 1912, Coco opened another boutique located in Deauville. She used jersey, a fabric previously used to make men’s underwear, to create a line of sportswear. This action dramatically altered women’s fashion and was instantly loved. The first CHANEL couture house, located in Biarritz, France, was opened by Coco in 1915. The shop had 300 employees and was a huge success up until World War 2, when it unfortunately closed.
The second CHANEL Couture house, also referred to as “31” due to its address, was opened in 1918 in Paris. The shop houses a boutique, salons, and workshops. “31” is the only CHANEL couture house that didn’t close as a result of WW2. Coco lived in the apartment directly above “31” for the rest of her life.
In 1921, CHANEL No. 5 was released. The perfume was created by Coco Chanel, as well as perfumer Ernest Beaux. To this day, CHANEL No. 5 is considered the most iconic perfume of all time. In 1952, during an interview with Life Magazine, when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to sleep, she responded with “I only wear CHANEL No. 5.” Monroe’s groundbreaking statement made her an ambassador of the perfume. CHANEL No. 5 was also the first perfume to ever bear a designer’s name.
In the years later, CHANEL released a wide variety of beauty products and perfumes. This included CHANEL’s first makeup collection, released in 1924, as well as CHANEL’s first skincare line, released in 1927. The skincare line included 15 products and was referred to as “a reflection of CHANEL’s innovative vision.”
Coco Chanel built her villa, La Pausa, the next year. The La Pausa was the only house entirely imagined by Coco. The mansion was built in the hills of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and includes seven bedrooms, a dining room, three living rooms, and two kitchens. The same year that La Pausa was built, CHANEL launched the Bois Des Iles perfume.
In 1931, American producer Samuel Goldwyn requested Coco’s presence in Hollywood. He asked her to help dress actresses, including Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, and Marlene Dietrich. She designed costumes for Tonight or Never (1931) and The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932).
CHANEL, even though still a relatively new brand at the time, was extremely successful. Unfortunately, in 1939, CHANEL closed its Couture house as well as four of the Rue Cambon locations. The stores were shut down due to WW2, but thankfully, the Couture house reopened in 1954 when Coco Chanel was 71 years old.
That same year, Henri Robert replaced Ernest Beaux, creator of CHANEL No. 5, as the new perfumer for CHANEL. The year after this, Coco released the 2.55 handbag. The bag, named after its creation, is a quilted handbag with a gold chain. The 2.55 was the first handbag ever made by CHANEL. Later that year, CHANEL launched Pour Monsieur, the only men’s fragrance released during Coco Chanel’s lifetime.
In 1956, CHANEL released its trimmed tweed suit. The suits, still relatively popular today, sold for thousands of dollars. The suits are known for their comfortable yet sophisticated design. The year after the trimmed tweed suit was released, Coco Chanel created two-tone pumps. The heels were the first ever made by CHANEL. They had a black tip while the rest of the shoe was tan. These, as well as many other CHANEL clothing pieces, were very popular in the 60s. The most prominent women of the era, including Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor, dressed in Chanel.
Coco Chanel passed away 1971 on January 10th. Her cause of death was never released, but we know she died a peaceful, natural death. “You see, this is how you die,” Coco said to her maid seconds before passing. After her death, Coco’s position was passed around until 1983, when Karl Lagerfeld was appointed creative director of CHANEL.
The year after this, the Coco perfume was released. The perfume, named after the late founder of CHANEL, embodies Coco’s personality. The perfume was described as “mysterious” and “iconic,” two words used to describe Coco Chanel herself. Ines de la Fressange was the face of the perfume.
In the years that followed, a variety of watches, jewelry, and perfumes were released. The first CHANEL watches came out in 1987, the same year that Lagerfeld created his first ad campaign for CHANEL. After this, the Egoiste perfume launched, as well as the MADEMOISELLE watch. Then, in 1993, CHANEL bought the G&F Chatelain watchmaking manufacture in Switzerland and released CHANEL fine jewelry, including the reproduction of the COMETE necklace from the Bijoux de Diamants collection.
Four years later, in 1997, the spring/summer ready-to-wear collection was released, followed by the fall/winter collection. That same year, the fine jewelry boutique located at 18 Place Vendôme was opened. Then, three years after that, the first fashion show for the cruise collection took place. That year it took place in Paris, and since then the Cruise collection fashion show has become a regular event. Then, in 2002, Lagerfeld launched the Chanel Métier d’Art collection as well as the chance advertising film.
In the years after that, a variety of watches and fragrances came out. This included the white J12 watch (2003) and the Allure Homme Sport fragrance (2004). After this, the Creme Sublimage was launched, as well as the Rouge Allure lipstick. Then, in 2009, CHANEL opened the Fine Jewelry Studio.
In 2011, the Fondation Chanel was created. The Foundation’s goal was to preserve Chanel’s heritage. Then, right after this, “The Little Black Jacket” Exhibition took place. The exhibition was a traveling photography show hosted in 16 cities around the world. That same year, the 80th anniversary of the bijoux de diamants collection happened; to celebrate the anniversary, the House of CHANEL released 80 new jewelry pieces.
Then, in 2013, Coco Chanel’s apartment was renamed as a historical monument. Then, three years after that, the final chapter CHANEL couture exhibition took place. This refers to the 2016 spring/summer fashion show taking place in Venice. The same year as the show, the LES BLES DE CHANEL and Monsieur watch were released.
In the years after this, a variety of perfumes, jewelry, and collections came out. Also, in 2018, CHANEL began sponsoring the Grand Palais. Then, the next year, Karl Lagerfeld passed away. Despite his passing, CHANEL stayed up and running and is still incredibly successful to this day.
