Chanel, My Love

"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

And CHANEL is the embodiment of elegance.

Although Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel worked very hard to keep her business going since she founded it in 1909, I am sure she wasn't expecting her brand to be a consistent name in the fashion industry until the present day. Here we are, girls and women addicted to fashion and all we want is a Chanel 2.55 bag, named after her launch date - February 1955.


Reading through the biography of the brand, I realised that Coco handled the company from the beginning onwards like a real and serious business, that didn't developed by chance. She was not a woman who was interested in only selling her hats and dresses, but a clever business lady, strategically working on extending her brand's name and making her products known. 

Chanel was never married, but girlfriend and mistress to various men who at times helped her financing her business. She used her contacts to widen her customer audience, but also to expand her business. The perfume No. 5 was just intended to be a gift for customers, but it became very popular. Shortly afterwards she was introduced to Pierre Wertheimer, who supported the perfume business expansion financially and owned 70% of it. Chanel was not happy with the business deal she made, but was unable to change the contract. 

During the Second World War, she hoped to gain access to his part of the business, because Wertheimer was of Jewish decent and the German Nazi regime, for which she allegedly worked as an agent, had the rights to claim the possessions of Jews that resided in France. He on the other hand anticipated this and previously transcribed his part of the business to a French friend. By the end of the World War, his friend gave him back the 70% and Chanel continued being unhappy about the deal. 

When returning to work in 1953, Chanel realised that Christian Dior was taking major steps in the fashion industry, which strongly intimidated her. She didn't have the financial possibilities to keep up, so she asked Wertheimer for support, who in return demanded rights to all of her products, not only the perfumes. They managed to bring CHANEL back to the top luxury goods image at that time. 

An important role in the brand's appearance plays also the current head designer Karl Lagerfeld. He celebrates his 20th anniversary working for the haute couture brand this year. Congratulations!

Even though I can't afford it yet, I love Chanel for its simplicity.

xx