History 104/Chanel No.5

1. Chanel No.5 History

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was born in Saumur, France. When Chanel was twelve, bronchitis took her mother's life. Chanel's father sent his two sons to a farm to work as laborers and his three daughters to the convent of Aubazine. At the age of 18 Chanel had to move to a boarding house in the town of Moulins because she was too old to stay in the convent. Chanel learned to sew at the convent and was able to get a job as a seamstress. She also sang in a cabaret. This was when Chanel acquired the name "Coco", possibly originated from two famous songs, "Ko Ko Ri Ko", and "Qui qu'a vu Coco", or it was an allusion to the French word for kept woman, cocotte. At the age of 23, Chanel became the mistress of Balsan, a young French ex-cavalry officer and the wealthy textile heir. Chanel lived with Balsan for next three years at his chateau and was able to enjoy the rich life to the fullest. In 1908, Chanel started having an affair with one of Balsan's friend, Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel who financed Chanel's first shop. Chanel started designing hats while living with Balsan. After she became a licensed hat maker, she opened a boutique in Paris and named Chanel Modes in 1910. Chanel's business was continuously prosperous and she was able to acquire an entire building in one of the most fashionable districts in Paris in1918. Chanel was the mistress of some of the most influential men of her time, but she always remained single. In 1935, Chanel's company employed four thousand people. When World War II began, Chanel closed all of her shops because she thought that it was not a good time for fashion. Chanel also made a definitive claim of her political views. Chanel shared the anti-Semitism with Nazi-Germany. During the German occupation, Chanel stayed at the Hotel Ritz where upper echelon German military staff preferred to stay. Chanel used her position as an "Aryan" to appeal to German officials to strengthen the ownership of her company while the Nazi’s seized all Jewish owned property and business. Chanel had given the control of her perfume business to the Wertheimer brothers, but after seeing Chanel No.5's success, she tried to use her anti-sematic authority to gain control back of her company. This legal battle took many years, and continued even after the war had ended. Although Chanel came back to Paris in 1954, she moved to Switzerland in 1945. Chanel re-entered the fashion business against her famous and successful male competitors: Christian Dior, Chritobal Balenciaga, and Robert Piguet. Her new collection was not welcomed as much due to her damaged reputation by wartime socialization with Nazis. In 1971, the 87-year-old fashion designer was found dead at the Hotel Ritz where she lived for more than 30 years.