The House of Chanel, more commonly known as Chanel, is a Parisian fashion house in France founded by Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel. According to Forbes, the privately held House of Chanel is jointly owned by Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer who are the grandsons of the early Chanel partner Pierre Wertheimer.
The company is owned by Luxottica. The perfume, accessory, and skin line divisions have been made public in recent years.
Founded in 1910, the small shop selling ladies headwear had moved to the upmarket Rue Cambon within a year. The house became especially famous with the elegant little black dress and its signature Chanel No. 5 fragrance – so called because she was given a set of five samples by the perfumeur Ernest Beaux. She had instructed him to create a fragarance that should be “All about scent and nothing about the bottle.” Out of the five scents samples, she preferred No. 5. “It will bring me luck,” she declared. Ernext Beaux also created four other perfumes for Chanel; the are the little known Bois d’Illes, No. 22, Cuir de Russie, and Gardenie. However, Gardenie has recently been re-released by the House in 2005 with international acclaim, a scent that fuses jasmine with musks.
Chanel revolutionized haute couture fashion by replacing the traditional corset with the comfort and casual elegance of simple suits and dresses. She introduced to the world her signature cardigan jacket in 1925 and signature “little black dress” in 1926, introducing a more sultry and seductive definition to “sexy.” She had numerous other major successes that changed the fashion industry including the ever popular “‘Chanel suit’”, an elegant creation composed of a knee-length skirt and trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of wooven wool with black sewing trim and gold buttons, worn with large costume-pearl necklaces. Elite women of high socities around the world began to flock to the now legendary Rue Cambon boutique to commission couture outfits from her. The House of Chanel became an icon of elegance and from then on, the name “Chanel” became synonymous to elegance, wealth, and elitism, as well as the ultimate sign of French high class, la coquettrie.
After Chanel No. 5 was launched in 1921, Coco Chanel’s fashions became even more well-known and were purchased by the high flyers of London and Paris society alike. Chanel took to living at the Ritz Paris, and her suite of residence has become famous and is now named the “Coco Chanel Suite.”
Chanel is also known for its quilted fabric which also has a “secret” quilting pattern sewn at the back to keep the material strong. This material is used for clothing and accessories alike. During the early 1970s London socialite millionairess Diane Boulting-Casserley Vandelli was ambassador to the brand, making it ever more popular amongst the European jet-set and upper classes. The brand is now headed by German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld, who had previously designed for the House of Fendi, where his most memorable achievement was the creation of the signature “FF” logo print (referred to as Zucca) commonly used on handbags.
The Coco Chanel Era
Coco Chanel, founder of the House of Chanel, began her fashion career in 1910. She heralded new designs and revolutionized the fashion industry by going “back to basics,” incorporating elegance, class, and originality. Under her tight reign from 1910-1971, Coco Chanel held the title as ‘Chief Designer’ until her death on January 10, 1971.
1910-1932
In 1910, Chanel opens a shop, under the name of ‘Chanel Modes’ at 21 rue Cambon in Paris, to create hats. Her hats were worn by famous French actresses which helped establish her reputation. Chanel introduced in 1913 women’s sportswear at her new boutique in Deauville, France. Her line of jersey clothes changed not only women’s relationships with their bodies, but also with their way of life, or the French savoir vivre. It became an immediate success.
Her fashion became known in 1915 throughout France that prioritized freedom of movement by passing ostentatious and useless things in her designs. She affirmed the House’s style of authentic and naturally seductive with fluid and comfortable lines. She then opened her first couture house in Biarritz, France to introduce her other fashion lines.
1921 saw the introduction of the first Chanel perfume, No. 5. It was greeted internationally by high society ladies as their choice when going out during the night. “La Société des Parfums Chanel’’ was founded in 1924 to produce and sell perfumes and beauty products, after the critically acclaimed No. 5, a perfume that commands the highest sales in history.
1924 also greeted the first Chanel costume jewelry collection that Harper’s Bazzar greeted as “one of the most revolutionary designs of our time.”
In 1928, Chanel introduced the ‘little black dress,’ greeted by Vogue as the ‘new uniform of the modern woman.’ That same year, Chanel introduced the classic tweed. Inspired by visits to Scotland with the Duke of Westminster, Chanel was inspired and created her first tweed suits.
Chanel premiered a fabulous exhibition of fine jewelry in 1932 dedicated to the diamond, featuring designs which became the talk of the town for their simplicity and originality. Several of the pieces, including the ‘Comet’ and ‘Fountain’ necklaces were re-introduced by Chanel in 1993.
