The legend of Chanel started in 1909 when the fashion industry was still finding its way by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in France. The head designer is Karl Lagerfeld, and the products are haute couture (top fashion), Perfume, Jewelry and Fashion accessories.
In the beginning, Gabrielle Chanel opened a shop on the ground floor of Balsan’s apartment in Paris. Balsan’s would soon become the center of fashion for the world, and it became a meeting place of the hunting elite of France. When the gentlemen brought along their ladies, this provided Gabrielle – or ‘Coco’ – the opportunity to sell the women decorated hats. One of the friends Coco made at this time was Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel. He would prove to be important to Coco’s success.
He considered her to be a good businesswoman and so helped her to expand. Her designs tended to be simple rather than flashy and she appealed to women doing the factory jobs that men had held prior to the war. Her fashion became known in 1915 throughout France for its simplicity.
Many people know Chanel for its perfume, specifically Chanel #5. Chanel started with fragrances in 1924 with Pierre Wertheimer. He was tasked to produce and sell perfumes and beauty products. Because of the way the business deal was struck, Coco operated her couture business apart from the perfume division. In 1924, she also introduced her first costume jewelry which was a pair of pearl earrings, one black, one white. Soon, the Chanel empire expanded even more, but not without first experiencing some ups and downs with World War II and Germany’s occupation of France during that time.
In 1953, Coco staged a comeback. With her unerring sense of style, she became the single most prestigious label in all of fashion again. She collaborated with jeweler Robert Goossens to design a line of Chanel jewelry which exquisitely complimented her fashion designs. She also re-launched her signature “Chanel Suit”. She also introduced the Chanel gold or metallic chain-strapped and quilted leather handbags in February 1955. Chanel’s eau de toilette for men, Pour Monsieur became, endured and remains even today the number one selling men’s fragrance. That’s quite an accomplishement.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel died on January 10, 1971 at the age of 87. Reports say she was still working at the time of her death. After her death, the company was taken over by Yvonne Dudel, Jean Cazaubon and Philippe Guibourge.
Throughout the years, Chanel has worked with many models and celebrities to advertise its name. When you are a leading name in the fashion industry, you must have a high-profile advertising campaign. The company has employed Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tautou, Keira Knightley, and Marilyn Monroe. In the 1950’s, Marilyn was pictured splashing herself with Chanel No. 5 and the image has held up as the most famous of all Chanel advertisements.
The fabulous success of Coco Chanel and her company are known the world over. The name implies quality, style and luxury. Now, with expansion into many other products including watches, the Chanel name lives on way beyond Coco herself and continues to bring new and exciting things to the lives of privileged customers the world over.
In western cultures, male or female of any ages, on any fingers, thumbs or toes, can wear them. Rings are often made out of precious metals, like gold and sterling silver. Many popular styles of rings are made out of stainless steel or other base metals, wood, bone or shells. Rings speak of love and friendship or are worn just for beauty and fashion.
