Chanel herself summed up her leadership style well: “A leader knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.”

1. COCO Chanel
Dyad 6
Barkha Gupta 125
Natasha Kadam 032
The Legacy of an Icon: Feminism through Fashion

2. 19th Aug 1883 – 10th Jan 1971
• A French fashion designer and founder of the
chanel brand.
Gabrielle “coco”
Bonheur Chanel
• Only fashion designer to appear on Time’s magazine’s
list of the 100 most influential people of 20th century.
• Chanel was credited with liberating women from the constraints of
the “corseted silhoutte” and popularizing the acceptance of a
sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-world
war I era.
• A prolific fashion creator, Chanel’s influence extended beyond
couture clothing. Her designed were realized in jewelry,
handbags and fragnances.

3. We chose Coco Chanel because we
see a lot of ourselves in her.
Her story really inspired to stop
worrying about what other people
might think and pursue my dreams to
work in fashion. She took so many
risks in order to start her business.
She was incredibly smart and went
after what she wanted so adamantly
despite what the circumstance was.
Coco lived in a time when it was truly
a man's world and women's rights
were a thing of the future.
Why we chose COCO Chanel
01 – REFLECTION 02 – INSPIRATION 03 – LEADERSHIP
Chanel herself summed up her leadership style well: “A leader knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.”

4. EARLY LIFE
EARLY LIFE
School vacation were spent with
relatives and they taught her to
sew with more flourish than the
nun at the monastery were able to
demonstrate
Later she became a singer and
dancer in a music hall, where she
got the name “COCO”.
When coco turned 18, she left the
Orphanage.
She found a job as a shopkeeper
specializing in the lines and wares.
The Chanel family didn’t have any money.
When Gabrielle was 12, her mother died
of tuberculosis, and her father
disappeared.

6. Today, under the guidance of Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel
remains not only one of the oldest but also one of
the world’s most prestigious fashion house still active.
In 1983 Karl Lagerfeld took over as a chief designer
for Chanel. Like Channel, he looked into the past as
inspiration for her design.
Chanel Today
“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
310 boutiques
Annual revenue of $5.2 billion

7. Background of feminism :
19th century
Different women
Same Dilemma
Different Choices
Women combating
stereotypical
gender roles
Post French
Revolution era,
number of French
women artists
sharply declined
Nora’s Character in ‘A Doll’s house’

8. Drawing parallels :
Chanel Vs Women in
20th century
During the post-WWI era, many women were seeking to build
careers in a male-dominated workplace. During the war, women
had joined the workforce as nurses, or in civil service and
factories while the men were away. A lot of these jobs involved
high physical activity and heavy commuting
1920 –
US women got the
right to vote
1944 –
French Women got
the right to Vote
1960 –
Won the right to work
without their husband’
s consent
1910 – Opened her 1st Shop in Paris
• Called Chanel Modes
• Favoured by the most famous French
actresses

9. 1924 - Tweed jacket
• Inspired by the duke’s horse
riding gear
• Comfortable fabric
1921- launched the fragrance
Chanel No. 5
• 1st major fashion designer to
introduce a perfume
• Simple & sleek bottle
packaging
1924- Make-up line launched
(lipsticks and face powders)
Chanel through the decades : Fashion as a statement

10. 1940-1945 - Chanel decides
to close her boutiques
A silent period- During the
Second World War
1955 – the 2.55 bag
• Biggest icon ever
• Added straps to the bag
• Freed the hands of high
society ladies
1926 - The Little Black Dress
• Designed to make it easy
and inexpensive to look
elegant
1931 – Designed costumes
for famous Hollywood stars

11. Made Sewing – a feminist skill, her
weapon
Diluting the boundaries of gender in
fashion
Changing society’s perceptions
Fashion freedom to women
Used traditional masculine fabric
Liberated women from the tights grips of
both society, and their corsets
Evolution of the “fashion statement”

12. COCO’s Character
Traits Chanel herself summed up her
leadership style well:
“A leader knows the way,
shows the way, and goes the
way.”

13. • Hoggard, L., & Flett, K. (2014). “Are fashion and feminism
compatible?” Retrieved January 30, 2015,
from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/04/are-
fashion-and-feminism-compatible-lagerfeld-chanel
• The book, ‘Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life’
• https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/coco-chanel
References

14. Thank you