Coco Chanel: Fashion Designer, Business Mogul, and Spy,coco chanel,biography of coco chanel

                                                  
                                           

Coco Chanel: Fashion Designer, Business Mogul, and Spy

It’s likely that you’ve already heardof Coco Chanel either from her famous perfume, orthe luxury clothing brand based on her name. As a woman trying to build a business in atime where the world was controlled by men, Chanel started at less-than-zero. And yet she found a way to climb to the positionof being one of the most wealthy and powerful women in the world. On today’s Biographics, we are here to tellyou the true rags-to-riches story of Coco Chanel.

                                                           Early Life

Gabrielle Chanel was born on August 19th, 1883 in France’s Loire Valley. Her mother, Eugénie Jeanne Devolle, was anunwed laundry woman. She gave birth to Gabrielle in a charity hospitalrun by nuns. On the day she was born, her mother had towrite “traveling” where the father’s name should be. That wasn’t just an excuse for an absenteedad, though, because Albert Chanel traveled from town to town selling clothing to localpeasants. Gabrielle had one older sister, Julia, andthey were less than a year apart. The couple had their hands full with two infantdaughters, and they could hardly scrape by with what money they had. In 1884, Albert and Jeanne’s family gavethem money so that they could pay for a marriage license. After their union was official, they had severalmore children, and the family all lived in a cramped one-room apartment in the town ofBrive-la-Gaillarde. Gabrielle learned how to sew at an early ageto help her father with his clothing business. But when she was just 12 years old, Gabrielle’smother became sick, and died.

 Raising young children is very much a full-timejob, so he could not earn an income and take care of them at the same time. He sent his sons to work on a farm, and thegirls were sent to a convent called Aubazine to be raised by nuns. The nuns taught her discipline, as well ashow to read and write. She learned to carry herself with the graceand elegance of a lady, rather than a peasant. Most of the other children living in the conventwere orphans. But since her father was still alive, Gabriellerefused to consider herself an orphan, too. She held onto the hope that her father wouldreturn one day, and that they could be a family again. Books were a way for her to get lost in aworld of fantasy. She began to create elaborate stories abouther own life, as well, to help ease the pain of her reality. Later in life, one of the most common storiesshe told her friends was how she was raised by her strict “Aunties”. She continued giving lies and half-truthsabout her past, which made it almost impossible for anyone to know just how difficult herchildhood truly had been. Becoming “Coco”At age 18, Gabrielle left the convent to find a job. There were very few opportunities for womento find work, but she was lucky to have the sewing skills she learned from her father. She worked as a seamstress during the day,making clothing for rich ladies in the town of Moulins. This was a very solitary job, and she washidden in a backroom working long hours mending and assembling garments. At night, she worked a second job at a nightclub,where she would sing and dance in front of a crowd. When she was 23, her act caught the attentionof a man named Etienne Balsan. He was the wealthy heir to the Balsan garmentcompany, which supplied the French army with its uniforms. Gabrielle Chanel started going by the nickname“Coco”.

Years later, even Chanel herself would telleveryone a different story of where the name came from. Some believe it was based on the lyrics ofa song she used to sing. Others think it’s short for the French word“Cocotte”, which means “a kept woman”- or- in today’s slang, “sugar baby”. For someone in Gabrielle Chanel’s situation,these wealthy men were the only hope she had of escaping poverty. Balsan had a “type”- which was aspiringactresses. The girlfriend who lived with him before Chanelwas named Emilienne d’Alencon, and she went on to become rich and famous with her successfulcareer in Paris. Gabrielle had no delusions about the relationshipwith Etienne Balsan, and she knew that by sleeping with him, he would help introduceher to the right people. But after a few auditions, it was clear thatshe just wasn’t cut out for show business. She was staying at Balsan’s house in thecountry, the Chateau de Royallieu for a few days. The home was set in the middle of the forest,where Balsan enjoyed riding horses and hunting. When his guests came over for the weekend,he kept her like his dirty little secret, telling her to hide in one of the back bedrooms. This was infuriating for Chanel. It was clear that Balsan was willing to sleepwith her, and yet he was ashamed to be seen with her in public. Plenty of people would feel completely dejectedby this whole situation. Instead of feeling defeated, this sparkeda fire in Chanel. She wanted to prove that she was worthy ofbeing at this party. The only problem was that the clothes shearrived in made it obvious that she was poor. So she took one of Balsan’s suits and cutit apart, tailoring it to fit her body perfectly. Then, she showed up to the party uninvited.

 She carried herself with confidence, whileeveryone’s heads turned to see this beautiful woman standing in a man’s suit. When the guests asked why she was dressedlike that, she casually said it was far more comfortable. Remember- this happened in the year 1906,so this was completely unheard of. Women were wearing corsets, long gloves, andmultiple layers of skirts. At the party, Chanel was clever, and interestingto talk to. When she made new friends, she would makeup elaborate stories about her past, just like she did as a young girl. She once said, “My life didn’t pleaseme. So I created my life.” Balsan was impressed by this stunt, so heallowed her to continue living at his Chateau, and she joined his inner circle of friends. He began to treat her to new clothes and jewelry,but she continued to use the fabric from Balsan’s discarded clothing to make herself outfitsto wear, instead. For most women, adding layers of fabric, feathers,and jewels was a way to show off that they were married to someone who had a lot of money. Chanel thought these things were vulgar, andshe didn’t care if a simple style made her look poor. She just wanted to be comfortable. Soon enough, other women began to copy Coco'sstyle. Looking at photos of Chanel in her youth,it’s almost as if they were taken today, or like she was a time traveler sent backa hundred years. Years later, she was quoted saying, “Inorder to be irreplaceable, one must be different.” During World War I, women everywhere beganto wear pants, because they had to work while their husbands were away. But by the time the men returned, they wantedtheir wives to go back to wearing dresses.

Of course, women in the upper class neverhad to work at all. So they never stopped wearing their corsetsand layers of uncomfortable fabric. If Coco Chanel was going to convince themto change, it would happen in stages, and over a very long period of time. Love. When she was 26 years old, Gabrielle met anEnglish businessman named Arthur Capel at one of Etienne Balsan’s parties. Everyone called him “Boy”, because hewas the illegitimate son of an aristocrat. He worked his way up in the world to becomea self-made man. Out of everyone in Balsan’s inner circle,he was one of the only people who actually worked for a living. Chanel was not satisfied to sit around anddo nothing all day like other kept women. She was earning an income from selling custom-madehats to women who admired her style, but she kept the money in cash. At the time, women could not own businesses,rent an apartment, or even have bank accounts without a guarantor, which was usually thefather or husband.

 Arthur Capel could see that Gabrielle Chanelwas a genius, and he believed in her long before anyone else did. He encouraged her to open a shop, and helpedher by putting his name on everything. Gabrielle ran the business entirely on herown, and began hiring women to help increase production. Boy and Coco were a perfect pair, becausethey were both passionate about each of their respective businesses, and had mutual respectfor one another. Arthur Capel used his experience to help lookover contracts and negotiate the business deals, but the rest was all on her. Even before opening her first shop, Chanelalready had loyal clientele from Paris, so it became successful right out the gate, andshe began seeing profits almost immediately. Boy and Coco used the money to purchase alavish townhouse in Paris, which doubled as the fashion studio. The whole of the ground floor was an openspace filled with the workshop. She created jobs for women in the local area,and her staff was growing all the time. Upstairs, she kept an apartment, and wheneverCapel was in Paris, he lived there with her. But no matter what she did to prove her success,Coco Chanel could never be seen as the “marrying type” in the eyes of the aristocracy. As the member of a noble family, Arthur Capelwas expected to end his affair and marry someone with a title. In 1918, he wed an English woman named DianaWyndham, who was a widow, and related to an assortment of Earls and Dukes. But he and Chanel were still very much inlove, and continued their relationship behind closed doors.

On December 22, 1919, Arthur Capel died ina car crash on his way to spend the holidays with Coco. His funeral was on Christmas Eve. They were together for 9 years, and Chanelplanned to live out the rest of her life with him. She was just 35 years old when he died. Arthur Capel had been the love of her life,and no other man ever came close to replacing him. Years later, her name would be known aroundthe world, and those same aristocrats who refused to accept her would be fighting towear her designs. There came a point in her life when her celebritycatapulted her to a place where she could have married anyone she wanted, but she neverdid. The one man she truly wanted to be her husbandwas gone forever. He knew her before, during, and after hersuccess, and there was no way to replace that. But she had a resilience that helped her tokeep going, no matter what. She said, “When you’re feeling sad, addmore lipstick, and attack.” FashionAfter the unexpected death of her beloved Boy, Coco Chanel needed to find a new businesspartner. At that time, she had over 300 employees. She was designing couture dresses that wereselling for over 3,000 francs each. In today’s money, that’s more like $38,000per dress, and she had an entire army of women making these things. You would think that this should have proventhat she was more than capable of running a successful business. But nope- she was still a woman, so the banksrefused to deal with her directly.

 It would become impossible for her to runher business on cash alone, and it was completely necessary for her to seek help from a malepartner. The law banning women from opening bank accountswould not change until 1965, after the passing of the French Family Law. This is when she met Pierre Wertheimer. He had a reputation for working together withother luxury brands around Paris, and he offered to be her business partner. The only issue was that Chanel knew nothingabout law or business contracts. Arthur Capel always had her best interestat heart, and he gave her the freedom to run her business as she pleased, and keep herprofits for herself. So, she was far too trusting, and unwittinglysigned a contract that said that Pierre Wertheimer was entitled to take 90% of her business profits. Even though this contract was ridiculouslyunfair, it meant that Chanel could stay in business, and she did not let this setbackget the best of her. In 1921, Chanel began working with a celebrityperfume chemist named Ernest Beaux. At the time, women were wearing oils thathad a single floral scent. She wanted to create a perfume with a layerswhich developed over time.

 This is when they created Chanel No. 5, andit became one of the best-selling perfumes in the world. For years to come, perfume and candle makerswould copy the idea of mixing various scents together to create a unique experience. Before Chanel, women never wore black, unlessthey were in mourning. In the 1920’s, Vogue compared her iconic“little black dress” to Ford’s Model T. It was simple, elegant, and revolutionary. Soon enough, people around the world werelooking to Chanel for inspiration. There was a ripple effect in women’s clothingin the rest of the world. Without Coco Chanel, there is no telling whatkinds of clothes women would be wearing today. Years later, Chanel reflected on that time. "I gave women a sense of freedom. I gave them back their bodies: bodies thatwere drenched in sweat, due to fashion's finery, lace, corsets, underclothes, padding." Despite the fact that she swore off ever marrying,Chanel continued to be in relationships with men. But no matter how powerful they may have been,she always stayed true to herself. She dated Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, whowas related to the Russian Romanov family. Next was Edward VIII, Prince of Wales. And before the dawn of World War II, she begana relationship with a German man named Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage.

Looking at her track record, it would seemthat she had a personal goal of trying to see if she could date at least one aristocratfrom each country in Europe. But her decision to be in a relationship withVon Dincklage would become both a blessing, and a curse. Because just a few years later, the Nazi Partywould rise to power, and Chanel’s lover would reveal his true colors. War. By the 1930’s, business was absolutely booming,and they needed all the space they could get in the House of Chanel. Her all-female staff increased to 300 workers,and it became necessary for Chanel to move out of the studio, and into the Hotel Ritz. At this point, Chanel had bought up severalstores along a street called The Rue Cambon, which ran directly behind The Hotel Ritz. In 1936, there was a labor movement in France,and workers were demanding better conditions across the country. On April 26th, Coco Chanel arrived at herstudio to see that all 300 of her employees were sitting on the floor in protest.

They all refused to work, unless their wagesincreased and their work hours lessened. Chanel was outraged, because she already paidthese women higher wages and gave more vacation time than any other business. Instead of giving in to their demands, shefired all 300 of them on the spot, saying that they were ingrateful, and she could dothe work on her own. But they refused to move. Finally, she gave in to their demands, forthe sake of getting on with the work. In 1939, Germany had occupied Poland, andChanel knew it was only a matter of time before they were coming for France. It’s possible that her boyfriend, Hans Gunthervon Dincklage let her know that the takeover was eminent. She laid off all 300 of her workers, and encouragedthem to seek safety before it was too late. Coco Chanel was not going to leave her business,no matter what happened. Just three months later, Germany occupiedFrance. The Nazis destroyed businesses and homes ofcountless number of French people.

 The Nazis even took over the Hotel Ritz astheir headquarters, so Chanel very literally had to live among them. Her home and business were both safe, so longas she continued to be in that relationship with Von Dincklage. But, knowing Chanel, she would have hatedthis. She never wanted to be beholden to any man,let alone the ones who thought they could rule the world. The Nazis knew that she was close friendswith the British royal family, so they asked if she would become one of their secret agentsin 1943. She was given the code named “Model Hat”. On a trip with Von Dincklage, she met withWinston Churchill, and handed him a letter, which gave Germany’s demands for England’ssurrender. Obviously, he didn’t take their offer, andit wouldn’t be surprising if he crumpled up the paper where he stood. There is no way of knowing what was said betweenChurchill and Chanel. Was she actually a double-agent, divulgingNazi secrets? We will never know. But when the war was over, Chanel was neverbrought to trial for cooperating with the Nazis. She never spoke about that time, and buriedit deep, like she did with all of the other unpleasant memories in her life.

Coco Chanel never said anything publicly thatwas Anti-Semitic. The only documented issue she ever had waswith Pierre Wertheimer, who just so happened to be Jewish. After the Nazis occupied France, they wereseizing any property that belonged to the Jews, and that included businesses. She wrote a letter to the Nazi government,asking if there was a chance that she could buy back the remaining 90% of House Chanel. However, the family temporarily sold theirbusiness entities to Christians during the war, and they had already fled to safety. There are plenty of people who cannot forgiveCoco Chanel for cooperating with the Nazis. But for a moment, put yourself in her shoes:She had two choices. Break up with her boyfriend, condemn the Nazis,and lose everything. Or, bite her tongue, and keep on pretending,for the benefit of maintaining the life she worked so hard to build. She chose life. And if she were alive today, she probablywouldn’t even bother to explain her decisions. In her own words, “I don’t care what youthink of me. I don’t think about you at all.” When the war was over in 1945, Chanel dumpedVon Dinklage quicker than you can say “Auf Wiedersehen.” She moved on to having an affair with theSpanish artist Salvador Dali, which is an interesting choice, to say the least.

 LegacyWhen the war was over in 1945, Coco Chanel was 62 years old, and she no longer felt inspiredto create new clothes. She chose to retire from the fashion worldfor years, and lived off of the royalties from the sales of her perfume. In 1958, she found her second wind at theage of 75. She unveiled new designs, and reopened HouseChanel. This sparked a resurgence in her brand’spopularity. Coco Chanel chose a man named Karl Lagerfeldto be her successor for the brand. She had more than enough money to retire andlive a comfortable life, but she worked until the day she died on January 10th, 1971. When she died, she was 87 years old, and hadan estimated net worth of $100 million. Yes, this sounds like a lot of money, butkeep in mind that Pierre Wertheimer’s grandsons still own 90% of Chanel, even to this veryday. They are now multi-billionaires. Today, many people think of Chanel as a brandthat is intimidating and unattainable. But for those who look at the price tag, theymiss the point.

 Coco Chanel was quoted saying on more thanone occasion that she believed people should wear what makes them happy. Wear the colors you feel great in, and thestyle that makes you feel comfortable. Instead of trying to be flashy or follow atrend, your attitude and the way you carry yourself speaks far more than the clotheson your back. She said, “Fashion is not something thatexists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live,and what is happening.” Now, before we end this video, I just wantedto say that our audience here on Biographics is only 13% female, and we look to these analyticswhen we decide what videos to make. If you’re a woman in the audience, pleasedo subscribe, so we know you’re out there. And if you felt inspired by the story of CocoChanel, please share this with someone in your life that you know would appreciate it,too. Thanks for watching.