2. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel 1883-1971 Born in Saumur, Southern France on August 19, 1883
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4. Career/Life Path Gabrielle adopted the name “Coco” during a brief stint as a singer in cafes and concert halls While working at a tailoring shop she met and soon began an affair with Etienne Balsan Coco left Etienne and took over his apartment in Paris. In 1908 she began selling hats from the basement shop in Etienne’s apartment. She was forced to close her shop
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6. 1910 she opened second shop funded by boy Capel in Cambon, Paris
7. 1913 she opened a clothing shop in Deauville , France funded by Capel
8. In 1916 Coco Chanel became the first designer to create loose women’s clothing using jersey
9. In 1919 Chanel relocated one of her shops to 31 rue Cambon in Paris.
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11. Death Coco Chanel died of a heart attack in her private suite at the Hotel Ritz Paris on 10 January 1971, at the age of 87. She was buried in Lausanne, Switzerland and her tombstone is carved with lion heads representing her birth sign, Leo.
12. Fashions that Chanel Introduced to the world Black as a color and the Chanel lipstick red. Trousers Costume jewelry Sailor tops The elimination of the corset from women's fashion The unisex style of dressing Sunbathing The use of knit jersey The women's bathing suit The bobbed hair style The skirt suit (with a collarless, cardigan-like jacket and somewhat boxy suit skirt with buttons.) With the help of Ernest Beaux, a chemist, she combined over 128 scents to design Chanel No. 5. Coco was the first to incorporate the use of floral scents
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14. Pierre Wertheimer funded the venture and retained a 70 percent ownership share in the Perfume company. Coco Chanel only got a 10 percent cut.
15. Pierre Wertheimer wanted to protect his legal rights, but wished to avoid a court battle, and so, in 1947, he settled the dispute with Coco Chanel, giving her $400,000 and agreeing to pay her a 2 percent royalty on all Chanel products.
16. At 70 years of age in 1954, Coco Chanel returned to Paris with the intent of restarting her fashion studio. She went to Pierre Wertheimer for advice and money, and he agreed to finance her plan in exchange for all rights to the Chanel name.
