Chanel is a French firm that produces luxury clothing and accessories. It is named after the firm’s first owner and designer Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, owned referred to by her nickname “Coco”.
Two items produced by the firm that it is best known for is its ‘little black dress’ and its perfume “Chanel No. 5”, but it is also manufactures gemstone jewelry, as well. Now in its second century of operation, it operates 310 Chanel boutiques worldwide, including 128 in North America, 94 in Asia, 70 in Europe, and 10 in the Middle East.
Chanel parlayed her intimate knowledge of Parisian high society into a successful shop that sold ready-to-wear clothes for women. After only a few years of operation, Harper’s Bazaar Magazine reported that Chanel clothing was in high demand by European factories. The infamous perfume was originally commissioned as a gift given to valued customers, but it became so popular that
within a year it became a sale item. Chanel collaborated with Pierre Wertheimer to produce the perfume en masse, thus expanding beyond France and Europe.
Chanel continued to design until she passed away in 1971. After some time, Wertheimer’s son purchased Chanel’s shares from her heirs.
In 1983, Karl Lagerfeld became Chanel’s chief designer.
