Coco Chanel: liv og indflydelse på mode

I have chosen to speak about Coco Chanel, because I think her personality and the change she made to the fashion industry was amazing.

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, which was her birth name, was born on 19th of August 1883 in Saumur, France and became a much reve(i)red style icon known for her simple, yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls. She grew up in an orphanage, and it was a stark, frugal life, demanding strict discipline. Life wasn’t easy for her, but she kept following her dream of becoming a clothing designer. At the orphanage, she was raised by two nuns, who taught her how to sew, a skill that would lead her to her life’s work. Because of her sewing skills, Chanel was able to find employment as a seamstress and besides that, she had a brief career as a singer. She performed in clubs, where she was called “Coco.” Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a shortened version of cocotte, the French word for “kept woman”.

Around the age of 20, Chanel opened her first shop on Paris, called Chanel Modes, where she started out selling hats, but her first taste of clothing success came from a dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day. In response to the many people who asked about where she got the dress, she offered to make one for them. She once told author Paul Morand- “My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville.”