Either way, in 1921 Chanel N5 perfume was born, the first perfume in her collection and is the best selling perfume in the world.Īfter many trips to Scotland with the Duke of Westminster, Chanel came across tweed, yet another fabric that was mostly reserved for men. It’s rumored that Chanel is extremely fond of the number five, another rumor is that while going over perfumes, while testing the fifth one, she knew that one would be a classic. Her collection was not well received by the press, however it was well received by the public. She began creating garments with jersey fabric, which was considered taboo at the time because jersey fabric was reserved for mens underwear. Her first advertisement was sending her sister and young aunt around town dressed in her clothing to get people into her shop, it worked. Three years later Chanel opened a new boutique with the help of an investor. Her hats at the time were named ‘Chanel Modes’ and her simple and elegant style quickly took over Paris. The first brick and mortar Chanel shop was founded in 1910 at 21 Rue Cambon in Paris.

By the time Chanel was 27 she was designing hats and had garnered a celebrity following, including the most famous French actress of the time.

She grew up poor, but being in the cabaret exposed her to very wealthy men. Gabrielle Chanel grew up in a convent as an orphan, as a young adult she dabbled in cabaret dancing and was known for singing only two songs, because of lyrics she was given the nick name ‘Coco’, she later claimed it was given to her by her dad.

Chanel bag with star screws