A new lifestyle for women, designed by a charismatic figure.
1910 | PARIS, FRANCE | GABRIELLE BONHEUR CHANEL

From ready-to-wear clothing and bags to wallets, earrings, necklaces, and other accessories, as well as perfumes and cosmetics, the luxury brand CHANEL has captivated women all over the world with its numerous iconic products.

The history of Chanel began in 1910 when Coco Chanel, or Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, opened a hat shop in Paris called "CHANEL MODES." In an era where extravagance was at its peak, her simple style of hats quickly became popular. In 1913, the collection of sportswear made from jersey material, presented at her newly opened boutique, shocked the fashion world of the time.

Chanel continued to expand its business successfully, eventually extending to perfumes. In 1921, one of the brand's first perfumes, "CHANEL No. 5," was created. The name No. 5 comes from the fact that Chanel herself adopted the fifth sample presented by the perfumer. Marilyn Monroe was also a fan, and there's a famous anecdote that in a 1952 interview with LIFE magazine, she said, "The only perfume I wear to bed is Chanel No. 5." In 1924, under the slogan "Bring light to makeup," Chanel launched its first makeup collection, and has since achieved success in the cosmetics sector as well. In the same year, they introduced women's suits made from tweed, which had previously been considered mainly for men. Tweed suits remain one of Chanel's icons to this day. In 1926, using "black," which had previously been strongly associated with mourning attire, Chanel presented the extremely simple "THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS," once again shocking the industry.

Chanel continued to grow, and by 1935, it had grown to employ 4,000 people. However, with the outbreak of World War II, the boutiques closed except for a few departments, and Coco Chanel herself retired as a designer. But in 1954, at the age of 71, she suddenly returned to the fashion world. In February of the following year, 1955, she unveiled "THE 2.55 BAG." At a time when handbags were common, it is said to be the world's first shoulder bag, freeing women's hands by being worn over the shoulder with a chain strap.

Coco Chanel left behind countless innovations and achievements, including using a monogram of her initials as the brand logo, popularizing and introducing women's pantsuits, and developing the "Matelassé" quilting technique, which combined practicality and design to prevent deformation and damage, before her death in 1971. The Chanel brand then experienced a period of decline, but in 1983, Karl Lagerfeld, the "emperor of fashion" who had worked at Chloé and Fendi, became the designer and led Chanel until his death in January 2019, and the brand brilliantly regained its former glory.

Coco Chanel, who lost her parents at a young age and was an orphan, built a world-renowned luxury brand from scratch. She was undoubtedly a charismatic figure who captivated people, overturned conventional wisdom, and brought about a new order. Her creativity revolutionized women's fashion, laying the foundation for modern fashion. In fact, perhaps what she was designing wasn't just fashion, but a new lifestyle for women.