Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France. Her mother died when she was young and her father placed her in an orphanage. Chanel was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew. At age eighteen she moved to Moulins, where she attended school while living in a convent. In 1902 she became a seamstress and she also worked as a cafe singer which is where her nickname “Coco” came from.
Chanel enjoyed a very social life and had affairs with many wealthy men including Arthur “Boy” Capel whom she stayed with until his death in 1919. With his financial assistance she opened a small millinery shop in 1910 and a boutique in 1912 where she later sold simple sportswear, such as jersey sweaters. Chanel later transformed into practical but elegant designs many of which were inspired by menswear. Her clothing got the attention of many wealthy women looking for something different from corsets.
In 1922 She launched her first perfume, Chanel No.5 she partnered with a businessman whose company manufactured her perfume but only gave her 10% of the earnings. She sued him multiple times but failed to regain ownership of her fragrance. Chanel closed her shop in 1939 with the start of WWII and moved to Switzerland. In 1950 at the age of 70 Chanel decided to return to fashion. On January 10, 1971 Chanel died in Ritz Paris, Paris, France.
RELATED STORIES:
https://www.biography.com/history-culture/coco-chanel
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Coco-Chanel
https://www.chanel.com/us/about-chanel/the-founder/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Chanel
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