A profile of the Entrepreneur and the business

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

August 19, 1883 – January 10, 1971

Life:

• Born in Saumur, France
• Learned the seamstress trade at a monastery
• Chanel left her first seamstress job to become a cabaret singer, which is where she got the nickname "Coco"
• Chanel's first shop was a millinery boutique
• Chanel was the first designer to develop a synthetic perfume. Named after herself, Chanel No.5 is the best selling perfume of all time

Important Designs:

• A belted oversized sweater worn over trousers or a skirt
• The Chanel Suit - a wool boucle suit with a boxy, collarless jacket and knee length skirt
• Costume jewelry was popularized and became a staple in women's fashion thanks to Chanel
• The Chanel quilted handbag - an often copied leather handbag with a quilted pattern and gold chain strap interlaced with leather
• The Little Black Dress - the original little black dress was strapless and backless, which was very risqué at the time. It was featured in the 3rd issue of Playboy magazine.
• The first designer to use jersey knit as a serious, fashionable material.