Tweet

Article Overview:

Humble Beginnings: The Early Years of ‘Coco’ Chanel - Click To Read Article
The simple mention of the name ‘Chanel’ and images of luxury, grandeur and haute couture spring up in minds across the world. As one of the most recognized and venerated brands in fashion history, Chanel came from the impoverished streets of France to revolutionize women’s fashion and liberate it from its restrictions. Thirty years after her death, Chanel’s lasting impact on the fashion world can still be felt.

The Beauty Magnate: Chanel Leaves Her Mark - Click To Read Article
Chanel was beginning to make a name for herself among the who’s who of Paris all the while acquiring a taste for their luxuries and decadent lifestyle. With her modest hat and dress store, Chanel’s reputation was already beginning to grow as a woman who had little interest in the extravagant and tight-fitting clothes that were all the rage at the time. Instead, she opted for darker and simpler dresses that drew their inspiration from men’s clothing as well as the outfits of the nuns she had grown up around.

Lesson #1: Be One Of A Kind - Click To Read Article
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” said Chanel. “People laughed at the way I dressed, but that was the secret of my success: I didn’t look like anyone.”

Lesson #2: Be Bold - Click To Read Article
“In fashion, you know you have succeeded when there is an element of upset,” said Chanel.

Lesson #3: Be Inspired - Click To Read Article
“Fashion is not simply a matter of clothes,” said Chanel. “Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind. One intuits it. It is in the sky and on the road.” A passionate woman, Chanel found the inspiration for her designs in the simplicities of her everyday life. From the closets of her lovers to the time she spent outdoors on her frequent fly-fishing expeditions, Chanel never stopped seeking out ideas for new product lines.

Lesson #4: Leave A Strong Impression - Click To Read Article
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress,” said Chanel. “Dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” Chanel understood the importance of appearance to getting ahead in the business world. Looking her best wasn’t just a matter of wanting to feel feminine or being attractive for Chanel, it was also a way to gain respect.

Lesson #5: Take A Second Chance - Click To Read Article
World War II proved to be a turning point in Chanel’s career. Despite being wildly successful, Chanel decided to close up shop in 1939, when France declared war on Germany. She closed the doors of her stores and stopped designing altogether. While other couturiers were leaving the country, Chanel decided to remain in her beloved Ritz Paris apartment. It was here where she would live out the controversy that was soon to surround her life.

Taking Haute Couture to New Heights: How Chanel Achieved Success - Click To Read Article
When Time magazine published its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, Chanel was only the person in the fashion industry to be named. With that, her influence on not only her own field, but on the world as a whole, became obvious. “When I can no longer create anything, I’ll be done for,” Chanel once said. She was a dedicated workaholic who devoted herself competely to her work until the day she died at the age of 88. What were Chanel’s succses factors?

Coco Chanel Quotes - Click To Read Article
Coco Chanel Quotes

Mademoiselle Coco Chanel - Click To Read Article
In her inner circle of friends, fashion designer Coco Chanel was known as ‘Mademoiselle’. Over her fifty-odd year career of running her own business, she came to be considered as the ‘Grande Mademoiselle’ of both the fashion industry and high society. Coco Chanel not only revolutionized what women wore, but also the roles they were supposed to play in society.

Coco Chanel Handbag - Click To Read Article
The launch of the first Coco Chanel handbag in 1955 marked the beginning of a fashion revolution. Coco had retired in 1939, and had been written off by most in the industry. Her perfumes could still be bought at Chanel outlets, but she had stopped making any new designs, and had effectively retired from the fashion business. When she made her comeback at the age of 71, and introduced the innovative and hugely popular Coco Chanel handbag, her success was thus all the more remarkable.

Coco Chanel Sunglasses - Click To Read Article
Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha…You? What could you possibly have in common with the girls from the hit HBO show Sex and the City? Well, put on a pair of Coco Chanel sunglasses and you would be close.

Coco Chanel Perfume - Click To Read Article
In 1924, legendary fashion icon Coco Chanel remarked, “I want to give women an artificial perfume. Yes, I really do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made. I don’t want any rose or lily of the valley; I want a perfume that is a composition.” Today, eighty-three years after the first launch of Chanel No. 5, Coco Chanel perfume remains as popular as ever and indeed, one of the best known brands in the world.

Coco Chanel Bio - Click To Read Article
The Coco Chanel bio is a story that begins far removed from the opulence that her name would later come to represent. Born in Saumur, France, in 1883, Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel was the illegitimate daughter of a shop girl – who would die soon after – and a traveling salesman – who would abandon his daughter on the streets of France. It was her two aunts, with whom she was sent to live, who would teach the young girl the etiquette that would come to shape the Coco Chanel bio.





Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Adjusting Your World

Leading from Authenticity is a Beautiful Thing

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.