Many fashion lovers associate Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld, the dominating white Cs on black leather handbags, vintage suits for women and creamy white pearls. But Chanel has a rich history that starts with a single woman’s vision for couture clothing that went well beyond the clothing women wore in the early 1900s. Her name became famous because of her daring and provocative fashions – her name is Coco Chanel.
Early Chanel in 1900s
Coco Chanel, also known as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel started putting her designing ideas on paper years before she opened her first store in 1909 in Paris, France. The store was on the ground floor of a friend’s apartment complex, who often hosted gatherings for France’s elite and gentlemen with their fashion-curious mistresses.
Her business grew during the First World War, because of her view that women should not forget about fashion during the tough years of factory work and supporting soldiers at war. She insisted that women should carry themselves well and look good for their husbands. Her designs, inspired by menswear, started dominating the buyer’s market and soon, her designs were known around France. It was also during these successful years that she launched her famous “Number 5” fragrance.
The House of Chanel and the Second World War
Coco continued to expand her couture empire throughout the 1930s by adding more detailed dresses and suits to her existing clothing line. She started adding rhinestones and jewels to her dresses, giving them a more feminine feel compared to her masculine suits from the 1920s. She officially retired when the beginning of the Second World War was announced to the world. Coco continued to earn revenue from her perfumes and accessories.
During the 1940s, Coco decided to launch her own line of fragrances, which created legal troubles with her fragrance partner from the 1930s, Wertheimer. He felt infringed and ended up paying her to stop designing perfumes. She agreed.
Post-War Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld
Although Chanel retired during the Second World War, she had a desire to continue working as many competitors started making a statement on the French fashion market. She started doing more designing in jewelry, handbags and fragrances. She continued to work until her death in 1971 at the age of 87. Her Chanel brand was continued by Jacque, Wertheimer’s son. He hired Karl Lagerfeld with hopes of bringing the brand to a new level. At the time, Lagerfeld was working for Chloe.
Lagerfeld quickly took over the House of Chanel and in 1983 he became the chief designer of the couture brand. He was primarily responsible for opening an additional 40 Chanel designer stores around the world. Despite the expansion, Lagerfeld was determined to keep the brand classic and high quality.
The House of Chanel Today
The brand of Chanel continues to grow in the 21st century by launching a unisex line in the year 2000. The house continues to develop fragrances and has become known for its black leather handbags, well-stitched suits and the persona of Karl Lagerfeld.
As of 2011, Chanel is known all over the world for high fashion, clean lines, high quality leather handbags and vintage clothing. Chanel is located in Canada, the United States and various countries in Europe, including Italy, Spain, Denmark and Germany.
Malene Soegaard - Malene spends her life analyzing fashion and movies. She operates two print magazines and is a published author.
