The Biography of Iconic Designer Coco Chanel: A Story of Rags to Riches

Born Gabrielle Bonner Chanel, Coco was plucked from poverty by a series of wealthy lovers, rose to become a symbol of luxury, and changed the face of women’s fashion forever. Always a mistress and never a wife, Coco spent a great deal of her life longing for love with such passion, it almost cost her everything. Her determination, however, would prove to be enough to allow her to thrive and triumph in this male-dominated world on her own terms, and it is that determination we have to attribute the Brand Chanel that we know and love today.

Gabrielle Bonner Chanel was born on the 19th of August 1883 in France’s Loire Valley. Her parents were unmarried, which, at the time, made it illegitimate. Along with this, the family lived in poverty, which, together, made her beginnings both scandalous and unsavory. 

Her father was a market peddler (someone who sold goods that were often stolen) so Gabrielle and her 4 siblings spent much of their childhood gallivanting the markets of Western France. Working-class women at the time had few options. Most were forced to work for little pay as domestic servants or laborers, which was her mother's profession. Gabrielle expected this future for herself as well at the time, but when she was 12 years old, things changed.

At only 12-years-old, Gabrielle mother died suddenly, which left the responsibility of their 5 children to her father. He split the family up, sending his sons to work on a farm, and his daughters to an orphanage. Gabrielle spent the next 8 years in the orphanage and was only allowed to leave for holidays-when she would spend time with her two Aunts: Louise and Adrian. 

These were the years that Gabrielle first learned to sew. First basically-from the nuns that raised her in the orphanage, then creatively-from her Aunt Louise, who she spent the holidays making hats and clothes with more frills and decor than their usual low-class rags, the craft that would eventually become her career and legacy.

At 20 years old, Gabrielle was released from the orphanage and sent into the world on her own. Her first job was as a seamstress in a tailor’s, which was a reputable job for a girl of her standing. Before there long, Gabrielle began to catch the eye of the men that would come in to fix their suits. They started to invite her to the popular local music halls with her Aunt Adrian. 

It was the stage performances that she would see with them there that were the first taste that Gabrielle had of glamour. She longed for more. For that reason, she found work at one next. With acts to two songs-both including the word Coco-she took up the stage name La Petite Coco shortly after, which would become the inspiration of Coco Chanel one day. 

At the music hall, Coco continued to catch the attention of the gentlemen who came in. At only 21 years old, Coco caught the eye of one, Étienne Balsan- a frequent at the music hall and a millionaire. He already had a live-in mistress at the time, but Coco didn’t mind. She saw him as a one-way ticket out of poverty.

His live-in mistress soon moved out, and Coco moved in to the mansion- becoming his new kept woman. The mansion estate had horses, which Coco kept, and used, soon becoming a skilled horseman. Now, just two years out of the orphanage, Coco was socializing with the wealthiest people in France, and gaining the confidence to do things differently- which included in her fashion sense. 

The predominant style at the time among the elite was bulky, long dresses, and tightly bound corsets. Coco found this to be ridiculous, uncomfortable, and impractical, and would not participate. She refused to be a slave to the fashion of her era. This rebelliousness peaked, the day she decided to wear men’s attire to compete in a derby. This was accompanied, of course, with one of her stylish self-made hats. Balsan indulged Coco’s sense of fashion and gave Coco a room in the mansion to continue to make her own hats, like she would as a child with her Aunt Louise. Coco wasn’t satisfied with doing this as a hobby, however; she wanted it to be her profession.

She knew that she couldn’t open a store by herself with her background, so she was lucky to have met Arthur Edward “Boy” Capel soon after. He was a good friend of Balsan-similarly a polo player and playboy-but even richer. By 1909, Coco was mistress to both of the men. Capel was self-made and, soon after the affair began, saw that familiar drive in Coco. Coco knew he would be the perfect man to help her to get what she most wanted.

One day, she left a note for Balsan. She thanked him and explained that she was leaving with Capel because she loved him. The two went to Paris, and Coco was soon socializing with the most well-connected and sophisticated of all of France. She didn’t abandon Balsan completely, however. The two stayed in contact. It was a deal made between Capel and Balsan, that would fund Coco’s very first venture-a hat shop.

The hat shop was a success. Coco’s flair for the practical and simplistic was well-received as an alternative to Paris’ usual eccentric style. This was only the beginning for the budding businesswoman. Not long after, and again with the financial backing of both men, Coco opened up a second Chanel location in the wealthy seaside tourist town, Deauville, Normandy. This would be the first Chanel location, not to just sell hats, but would also sell clothes.

Coco created her first couture line by herself with the inspiration of allowing women to look stylish while remaining comfortable. She stressed practicality, and removed the frills for her customers. Her first collection was a success, leaving young Coco thrilled.

Unfortunately, this joy was cut short. World War 1 began soon-after, which left little time for high fashion. Cunning Coco, however, thought quickly and capitalized on this for her business. She began to design new wartime fashions in her signature practical styles and fabrics. She also started to use jersey fabric-otherwise used in men's underwear- to make dresses because, at the time, this was most accessible. Her next collection was wholly created of this fabric, and was another huge success. This gave her the confidence, to expand further, even in wartime, and in 1915, Coco opened another boutique in Biarritz.

With the addition of her third store, Coco gained financial independence. Capel took note one day, saying to her, “I thought I was giving you a play-thing. I gave you freedom.” His observation was astute. The House of Chanel was now fully established. 

The war ended and, with luck, Capel and Coco both made it through. Capel hit Coco with his own bomb, however, soon after when he told Coco that he planned to marry the daughter of a lord-a beautiful, aristocratic, English woman. Coco was devastated, but there was nothing she could do.

Even after the wedding, their affair lived on-until it no longer could. Shortly after his marriage, Capel was killed in a car crash, which left both his new wife and doting mistress heartbroken. Coco blamed the social elites for the loss and decided that her revenge would be to join high society and make it worship her.

Coco began by fantasizing and re-imagining her childhood for an extraordinary story to share. She didn't have to do much exaggerating, considering the great deal of it that she'd spent in the orphanage. Then she moved her boutiques to bigger, more luxurious locations. This included 31 Rue Cambon St. in Paris, which was the location she’d always dreamed of, and is still open today. 

Furthermore, she upgraded her apartment to the luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel. There, she would establish herself in high society by mingling and engaging in a slew of affairs with the most wealthy people to stay in Paris, included the likes of British dignitaries, the Duke of Westminster, and Prince of Wales, Edward VIII. Throughout these charades, Chanel was still deeply invested in the House of Chanel and continued to innovate. 

She soon came out with her first signature perfume, and her styles became more and more popular in Europe’s mainstream. It was 1926 when Coco came out with her archetypal Little Black Dress. It took the fashion world by storm, with Vogue predicting it would soon become the uniform of all women of taste. 

By having both a successful career and a liberated love-life, Coco Chanel embodied the aspirations of the post-war woman. Unfortunately, in 1939 disaster struck France again, with World War 2. Now that Coco was well-established in the fashion world, her clients begged her to keep her stores open during the war for morale, but after the Nazi’s invaded Paris, Coco had no choice but to close all but one perfume shop. 

She fled the area-along with much of Paris-but returned to the Ritz when she felt confident that she could steer her House through another World War. The Paris that she returned to, however, was entirely different, now occupied by the Nazi’s. She was also at this point 56 years old, and was having a hard time coping with her aging. 

It was then she met Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage- a German officer, Nazi spy, and 13 years her junior. Coco dined with him and asked for his help in getting her nephew released from Nazi detainment. During their negotiations, the two became lovers. With him by her side and with Coco’s more senior Nazi connections, Coco was allured to become involved in a sinister plot with the Nazi party.

It was her conviction that connections she made through the Duke and the Prince, which included meeting Winston Churchill, armed her with better insight on British rulers than the Nazi commanding officers. For this reason, she met personally with Hitler’s main advisors to come up with a plan against the British-a plan that would become known as Modal Hoot. 

Modal Hoot's full details are still undisclosed, but it is thought that Coco was to be used as bait to lure Churchill into a meeting. There, she would would persuade him to make peace, using terms that favored the Nazis. She traveled to Spain, where she met with someone, who it was believed would be able to set up a meeting between her and Churchill. He claimed that Churchill was too ill to see anyone, so that’s where the plot ended. Coco's reputation, however, was now forever tarnished as having collaborated with the Nazis.

In 1944, the Allies operation overlord was put into action. Coco watched it unfold from a balcony, sensing the possibility of danger to come. It was successful, and Paris was liberated! As a result, the Nazi officers and their collaborators were outed. 

As a method of public humiliation, female collaborators had their heads shaved and were paraded around France. Coco knew that as the lover of a German officer she was vulnerable to this-and considering that her name was down as an agent to the Nazi’s in Operation Modal Hoot-she was sure to be found guilty of this.

She was right. Two weeks later, two men arrived at the Ritz carrying an arrest order for Coco, who was named a Nazi Spy. Lucky for her, however, she was never convicted and released from capture just a few hours later. She would never denounce the reason, but some believe that it was thanks to her knowing British Elite secrets, and others claim Winston Churchill intervened on her behalf, himself. 

Whatever the reason, Coco Chanel was able to avoid public humiliation. This wasn’t enough, however, as Coco’s reputation with the French was now soiled. They turned against her. It became unsafe for Coco to remain in Paris soon after, so she fled to Switzerland, where her German lover, Spatz, was waiting for her. 

Coco had now effectively lost the two things that mattered most to her: her reputation, and her empire. She stopped designing then altogether and lived comfortably on the fortune that she made selling perfume to the Nazi officers’ wives during the war.

Despite this, she continued to follow French fashion post-war. She despised what she saw. By this time, a man-Christian Dior-had become the biggest name in women’s fashion and repopularized the uncomfortable styles that reigned supreme before the House of Chanel. This, she saw as a digression in all that she had worked so hard for. She knew that women would soon be ready to ditch these styles again, and return to her more practical fashion. She planned her trip back to France. 

At 73 years old, Coco Chanel returned to Paris-where she would launch her first post-war collection. She saw it as her most pivotal show yet, because it could lead to either a triumphant comeback or public humiliation. 

Reactions in Europe were less than favorable. The French press had not yet forgiven Coco for her collaborations with the Nazis. The British called it tired and too similar to her pre-war fashions. 

Luckily, overseas responded favorably. The American working women adored Chanel’s simplistic styles and practical fits, and even made a movie to commemorate the life of the House’s iconic founder. 

America kept the House of Chanel afloat during this period, and in time, as Coco continued to improve her styles, Europe would come around to appreciate this fashion powerhouse once again.

Coco Chanel-now a millionaire after having risen from the poorhouse, had all the success she had ever dreamed of, but suffered from severe loneliness in her last years. As she put it, “There is nothing worse than solitude. Solitude can help a man realize himself; but it destroys a woman.” 

At 88 year old- her lovers had long passed, and she longed for love above all else. She died at her apartment at the Ritz with only her housemaid by her side.

Check out this documentary for more information if you're interested.