By adapting men's clothes to women, she became the most famous fashion designer in the world: Coco Chanel

Fashion designer Coco Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in the Saumur region of France. What made the famous designer famous were the timeless pieces she designed, black mini dresses and suits that became his personal signature. Chanel grew up in an orphanage, where her caretakers taught the little girl how to sew. Before opening her first clothing store in 1910, the young designer tried her luck in the music industry, and after singing in a few different places, she decided that this was not his way and preferred to move to a different field. Coco Chanel, who released the first perfume of the brand she gave her name in the 1920s, also offered the first suit and black mini dress that would make her brand famous that year. Caring about making women look comfortable as well as stylish in every piece she sews for women, Chanel died on January 10, 1971, after living a long life.

Early years of her life

Coco Chanel's real name was Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. The little girl was born on August 19, 1883 in the Saumur region of France. Although she was known to millions when she died, the first years of her life were not so bright and flamboyant. Her father, who could barely make ends meet after her mother's death, thought that he would not be able to take care of the little girl, and left her in a child welfare institution. These nuns taught Chanel how to sew. How could they have known that they had changed this unlucky little girl's life by teaching them to sew?

She earned her nickname in a completely different way. She had a short singing career and used the pseudonym Coco in clubs where she performed at Chanel, Vichy and Moulins. Although some say that this nickname is taken from a song, Chanel herself said in an interview that Coco is a shortened version of the French word cocotte. Cocotte means mistress in French.

Pioneering in Fashion and Perfume

Etienne Balsan, who entered Chanel's life when she was in her 20s, would change the fate of the young woman. Balsan had told Chanel that she could help her if she wanted, and that together they could open a store in Paris where she could sell women's hats and clothes. Chanel, on the other hand, met a much richer gentleman than Balsan, Arthur "Boy" (alias) Capel, and left Balsan for Capel. Both of these gentlemen had a great influence on Chanel's entry into the fashion industry.

It was 1910 when Chanel opened her first store on Cambon Street in Paris. Starting off by selling women's hats, Chanel soon opened new stores and started to produce clothes. In an interview with her, she told writer Paul Morand, "The foundations of my reputation are actually based on an old jersey that I wore one day because it was cold in Deauville."

In the 1920s, Chanel decided to expand the business and took steps in this direction. She launched her first perfume bearing her own name, Chanel No. 5 was on the shelves. Coco Chanel described her first perfume bearing the designer's name as "the most favorite accessory of fashion, never seen before and unforgettable". Of course, what she said about her perfume was not limited to this! According to Chanel, her perfume made everyone in the room notice the entrance of everyone who sprayed her, and when they left, they left their impression behind. The perfume was not really Chanel's solo success, with another store owner Theo Bader and businessmen Pierre and Paul Wertheimer behind the perfume. Chanel's close friendship with Pierre had turned into a business partnership. In the first deal they made, the producer of the perfume had 70 percent of the profit. Chanel was earning only 10 percent. In the following years, Chanel no 5 became a huge hit and a powerful source of income, Coco Chanel repeatedly appealed to the court to renegotiate the terms of their deals.

Suits and black mini dresses

In 1925, the Coco brand launched the now legendary Chanel suit: a well-fitting skirt combined with a sleeveless jacket. For those times, these designs were quite revolutionary; Coco Chanel was inspired by men's clothing, in fact, she challenged the fashion rules of the period by adapting men's pieces for women. Thanks to Coco Chanel, women said goodbye to corsets that prevented them from taking deep breaths, and left behind the garters that restricted their movements.

Another legendary design offered for sale by the brand in the 1920s was Chanel's mini black dresses. At that time, black was only seen as the color of sadness and mourning, black clothes were not included in daily life. Chanel showed how this color is actually suitable for going out in the evening.

Love life and scandals

Another of Chanel's life-changing relationships began in the 1920s. Having met the wealthy duke of Westminster on a cruise on the duke's yacht in 1923, Chanel's decades-long relationship began that day, right there. Chanel, who looked at the duke who proposed to her in the following years, gave the answer that will not be erased from the memories: “There have been many Duchess of Westminster until now. But Chanel, only one!”.

Of course, the global economic crisis in the 1930s also affected Chanel's company badly, but the real problems began with the outbreak of the second world war. Having to lay off her employees and eventually close her stores as a result of successive problems, Chanel had an affair with a German soldier, Hans Gunther von Dincklage, during the German occupation of France. After the war was over, she was put under interrogation over her relationship with von Dincklage, but managed to get away with being accused as a collaborator. There was talk behind closed doors in the fashion industry whether her old friend Winston Churchill had a hand in Chanel's escape without being charged.

Although she was not formally accused, her reputation was tarnished in the eyes of society. After all these rumors and accusations, Coco Chanel left Paris and moved to Switzerland, where she lived in exile for a while.

Coco Chanel made a strong comeback to the fashion world when she reached her 70s. Although her first designs were met with bad reviews, her feminine and easy-to-fit designs quickly managed to attract the attention of customers. It has settled on the shelves of many brands around the world by establishing a throne in the hearts.

Chanel died on January 10, 1971, in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz in Paris. Chanel, who never married, once said: "I never wanted to lean on a man any more than I would lean on a bird." Hundreds of people gathered at the Madeleine Church had done their last duty to the fashion icon and said goodbye to her. In the months following his death, his fans, who wanted to keep his memory alive, mourned by wearing Chanel suits.

About 10 years after her death, Karl Lagerfeld took over as the designer of the Chanel brand to continue the legacy of Coco Chanel. The rights of the company, which is still called by the same name today, belong to the Wertheimer family and the company continues to grow.