Over the years, CHANEL has become an iconic luxury brand that has captivated women all over the world. The woman behind it all is Gabrielle Chanel whose mission was to "To be the ultimate house of luxury, defining style and creating desire, now and forever." Which has remained as such throughout the years.
1910-1918: Chanel opened her boutique that first consisted of hats. CHANEL quickly grew and was able to open up different boutiques all over France and by 1915 she had the ability to expand further into France and debuted her first couture house. The first Haute Couture collection was designed and brought to life there.
1920-1928: Although Chanel was known for her designs she decided to expand into the cosmetic world and this was when CHANEL N°5 was launched. Chanel’s goal was to create a perfume that represented women. She later went on to launch makeup and skincare collections.
1931-1932: Chanel started to expand to other industries such as the entertainment industry where she was able to design costumes for big production films such as Tonight or Never (1931) and The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932). During this time she was able to create her High Jewelry collection with more than 45 jewelry pieces.
1952-1955: CHANEL N°5 grew in popularity when Marilyn Monroe said she only wore CHANEL N°5 in an interview with Life Magazine. Gabrielle Chanel created the famous 2.55 quilted handbag.
Gabrielle Chanel passed away on January 10h, 1971. “May my legend prosper and thrive. I wish it a long and happy life!” -Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel
1983: Karl Lagerfeld is named Artistic Director of CHANEL. He brought life back into the Cruise collections, introduced the Métiers d'art and pre-collections, restored Haute Couture to its former glory, and created the CHANEL Ready-to-Wear collection as we know it today.
1990-1997: In 1995 CHANEL released their first spring/summer ready-to-wear campaign which was resoundingly successful. This left a lasting impression. Due to the success of the previous ready-to-wear campaign CHANEL decided to do a fall/winter campaign.
2000’s: In 2001,CHANEL had their first fashion show that debuted their cruise collection. In 2005, they had their first fashion show at The Grand Palais as well as having their work exhibited at The Met in New York.
2010’s: In 2011 the Fondation CHANEL was created. The goal of this foundation was to pass on Gabrielle Chanel’s heritage by supporting projects aimed at improving the economic and social conditions of women around the world.
Karl Lagerfelf passed away on February 19th 2019.
The current CHANEL creative director is Virginie Viard."Viard’s trajectory has taken her from Lagerfeld’s invaluable Chanel studio director—he famously described her as “my right arm…and my left arm.""- Vogue
Written by Litzy Alvarado
Edited by Meg Cochrane