In February 1955 (hence its name), the first Chanel signature handbag, the 2.55, was launched. In the fifties and sixties her famous tweed or bouclé fabric skirt suits made their appearance, becoming a symbol of the brand. However, the collaboration started to go wrong in 1928 because Coco felt she was being financially exploited. The first Chanel fragrance, Chanel n★, appeared in 1924, thanks to a collaboration between Coco and the rich Wertheimer family (which owned 70% of the perfume side of her business). In 1920, Coco Chanel began making costume jewellery, such as big brooches and ostentatious chains which still typify Chanel jewellery.Īt the same time her little black dress became a great hit and was widely copied, becoming the must-have garment of the fifties and sixties. It was a success and was followed by the opening of a shop on Rue Cambon (1910), and two more in Deauville (1913) and Biarritz (1915).Ĭoco Chanel’s simple style, rejecting decorations and fine fabrics, was inspired by men’s clothing and was designed to give freedom of movement to a woman’s body. This businessman, who became the love of her life, believed in her talent and offered to set her up in a Paris workshop. This audience included the rich heir, Etienne Balsan, who offered her a life of ease at his side on his estate at Royallieu.Ĭoco Chanel accepted but soon got bored and decided to put her knowledge to work by making herself sober or tomboyish hats and clothing, in contrast to the feminine fashions of her time, and getting her noticed by Arthur Capel in particular. She found a job in a haberdashery shop in the same town and also tried her hand at being a cabaret singer where she was nicknamed Coco by her audience. In 1901 she discovered a passion for dressmaking that she had learned at the convent in Moulins. Gabrielle Chanel was born in 1883 and was placed in an orphanage at the age of 12 after the death of her mother.
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