A name that’s famous and loved worldwide. A name with a rich history. A name that is known as classy and trustworthy. We are talking about CHANEL. But how did they get to where they are today? Let’s dive into the fascinating history of this luxury designer brand.

The woman behind CHANEL

Gabrielle Chanel: the queen behind the history of this famous brand. What you might not expect is that she actually came from a poor family in France and soon after that unfortunately became an orphan. Left to find her way in the big world. When she turned eighteen and left the orphanage, she opened her hat shop (with the help of a wealthy man). Her first dive into the fashion world. 

But Chanel would not have been Chanel if she had left it by that. Back in 1912 she also started to create sportswear. Sportswear and Chanel? Yes! What made her famous back then was the material. The sportswear was made of jersey material. Because jersey material was usually used for men’s clothing. She made a revolutionary statement by moving this shift in fabric from men’s clothing to women’s clothing. Everyone loved this. And here it didn’t stop. Coutures and boutiques of CHANEL opened around France, where she also started creating clothes. The House of CHANEL was born. According to Coco, her clothing success came from a dress she made out of an old jersey. When a lot of people asked her where she bought it, she offered people to make them the same dress.

Simple, but elegant. Revolutionary designs

Her designs were always simple, but elegant. She also used many colors that were considered more masculine colors at that time, like navy blue and grey. It made her different and unique from all the other designers of that century. Around 1935 Chanel had around 4.000 employees and owned five boutiques. The CHANEL suit also was a revolutionary design. Where women in the 1920s mainly were wearing corsets and other types of uncomfortable clothing, it was Chanel that brought some comfort to women’s clothing. And what about the black dress Chanel introduced? Black was mainly associated with mourning and sadness, but Chanel proved that it was also a perfect color for chic evening wear. 

And then she put something on the market that became (and still is) insanely wanted and loved by many. Could you already guess it? CHANEL No. 5 is known to be a classy and timeless perfume. It was another revolutionary product from Chanel (and still is). 

CHANEL did not go unnoticed by the celebrity world. Several celebrities used the products, like Marilyn Monroe, and therefore the brand reputation of CHANEL grew again.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the luxury brand started to expand its line with tweed two-piece suits, the 2.55 purse, and bell bottoms. Changing times for the fashion industry back then, but also changing times for CHANEL. And it was the 2.55 handbag that took over the world. Chanel being Chanel, wanted to create a handbag that was all about comfort. So why not design a handbag with a longer strap, so women could have their hands free for other things? The Classic Flap bag, the most famous and iconic bag of CHANEL, was born. 

After Coco

In 1971, the legendary Coco Chanel passed away. But this didn’t mean the end for CHANEL. New Artistic Director Karl Lagerfeld joined the CHANEL brand and followed the traditions of Coco for the House of CHANEL. However, he did make small adjustments and some redesigns, to make CHANEL step forward from the conservative past. In addition, he also worked hard on promoting the brand, which resulted in people recognizing the CC logo worldwide. The Ready-To-Wear collection was introduced. This meant the bigger crowd could also buy and wear CHANEL. Haute couture, mixed with streetwear.

Nowadays CHANEL continues creating both haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion. They have something for everyone. CHANEL still mixes their old and new fashion. Do you own a CHANEL item? We have some beautiful CHANEL items in our online boutique. You can check them out here.