In 1895, the mother of Channel died and her father left the family. Because of this, she spent six years in one orphanage, where she learned seamstress. When she became eighteen, she left the orphanage, to become a cabaret singer. During this time, Chanel performed in some clubs where she was called “Coco’’.
She failed trying to become a cabaret singer. But while she was working in that, she met a rich French textile inheritor, Étienne Balsan, with who earlier will be the lover, with a job in a tailoring shop. While she was living with Balsan, Chanel began designing hats as a hobby, what soon became something more than that. After, Coco left Balsan and she moved to Paris.
In 1909 Chanel met and began an affair with Edward Capel. He financed Chanel's first shops and her own clothing style because he liked her creation and her innovator look. The affair ended nine years later, and Capel married an aristocratic English woman, but he didn’t break off at all with Chanel.
Chanel became a licensed modiste in 1910 and opened a boutique in Paris, named Chanel Modes. Chanel's designer career became more popular when the theatre actress Gabrielle Dorziat started wearing her hats in 1912. One year later, she opened a new boutique in Deauville, where she introduced luxe casual clothes that were practical for sport. By 1919, Chanel established her maison de couture at 31 rue Cambon.
These days, Coco Chanel is one of the most famous luxe fashion brand of the world, specially for the little black dress (LBD), what has become an item in most women’s wardrobes. The company has had many high-profile celebrities, like Nicole Kidman (Chanel No. 5), Keira Knightley (for Coco Mademoiselle), and the most famous, Marilyn Monroe (Chanel No. 5).
