In 1911, within just one year, business was booming, and Coco moved her store to the more fashionable Rue Cambon, which is still the headquarters of Chanel. Making hats could not satisfy Coco’s ambition for a fashion career, so she entered the field of Haute Couture.
In 1914, Coco Chanel opened two fashion stores, and the fashion brand ” Chanel “, which had a profound influence on later generations, was officially born.
In the 1920s, Chanel designed many innovative styles, such as the tricot sailor dress, the little black dress, and the turtleneck suit. Moreover, Coco drew inspiration from men’s clothing to add a bit of masculinity to women’s clothing, as women only wore skirts in the 1920s. She also changed the trend of women’s clothing being too gaudy, for example, she added blazers to her women’s clothing series and launched women’s trousers.
In 1921, Chanel launched Chanel No. 5 perfume, with actress Nicole Kidman as the spokesperson. Chanel No. 5 is the first perfume in history named after a designer. The “double C” logo also makes this perfume the most profitable product in Chanel’s history. It has been popular for a long time and is still a key product recommended on Chanel’s official website.
In the 1930s and 1940s, when World War II broke out, Coco Chanel closed her shop and fled to Switzerland with the Nazi officer she loved .
Return to the industry
In 1954, Coco returned to France and was determined to make a comeback . With her usual simple and natural women’s clothing style, she quickly captured the hearts of many Parisian ladies. Short tweed coats, bell-bottom pants , etc. are all works of Coco Chanel in the post-war period. Or simply say that the post-war Chanel style has always remained simple and elegant, often using Tartan plaid or Nordic geometric prints, camellias, and often using tweed to make clothes, which are comfortable and natural.
On January 10, 1971, she died in a guest room at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the age of 88. Throughout her life, she embodied the meticulous, luxurious and timeless Chanel spirit. Five stone lion heads are carved on her tombstone. Chanel’s design studio in Paris, under the management of Karl Lagerfeld , is still one of the top studios in the fashion industry today.
Inheriting the spirit
1983, twelve years after Chanel’s death. [14], the Chanel Group was succeeded by the design genius Karl Lagerfeld as fashion director, pushing Chanel’s fashion to another peak, but every season’s new products are still designed with the Chanel spirit. Karl Lagerfeld has a free, arbitrary and relaxed design mentality, and is the most famous representative of modern fashion directors. He always magically unifies two opposing artistic feelings in his designs, which are both unrestrained and dignified, with both French romance and humor, and German rigor and refinement. He does not have unchanging styling lines and preferred colors, but from his designs from beginning to end, one can understand the pure style of “Chanel”.
