Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, known to most as Coco Chanel, paved the way in French fashion with her high class yet simplistic designs. Her brand Chanel is still popular today even after her death in January of 1971. She was born August 1883 to a very unfortunate family. Her mother died of tuberculosis and her father left her and her five siblings to earn money for the family to live. Chanel spent seven years in an orphanage where she learned from a seamtress. The empire started off after she entered adulthood and Chanel began making hats and coats which would later lead to full line of clothing and accessories. After her name became more well known, Chanel was known to lie about her past because of the image people had of the lower class society. In 1923 Coco Chanel told Harper's Bazaar 'simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance'. She died from a heart attack in 1971 but her empire carries on. Films have been made depicting her life and most recently a Lifetime movie has been made to show the inner workings of her success.