The biography of Gabrielle Chanel is the story of a self-made woman – a woman who made herself. It is even surprising that Chanel chose the nickname “Coco”, which translates from French as “chicken”.
Gabrielle’s mother was a laundress, her father was a fair trader. At the age of 11, the young girl found herself in an orphanage in Aubazine Abbey – it was in this institution, famous for its strict and ascetic rules of life, that Gabrielle learned to sew.
The rise of Coco Chanel
After leaving the shelter, Chanel found a job as a seamstress and in the evenings she performed in a cabaret. It is said that it was then that the name “Coco” appeared – on stage, Gabrielle performed the songs “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco”. However, according to Chanel herself, her father gave her this nickname much earlier.
Coco opened her first hat boutique at the age of 27 – this boutique began the career of a woman who, many years later, became the only fashion designer included in the list of 100 most influential women of the 20th century according to Time magazine.
The seamstress became the queen of a fashion empire, a fashion house whose fame still resonates around the world today. How did she do it? Chanel herself liked to repeat: “If you want to have something you’ve never had, you’ll have to do something you’ve never done.” »
Yes
