Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883 in France. She had a difficult childhood, being sent to an orphanage at age 12 after her mother died. At the orphanage she learned to sew. In 1910 she opened her first hat shop in Paris, then expanded into clothing design. Her fashion career took off in the 1920s when she launched her iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume. Chanel revolutionized women's fashion with her simplified styles. She continued designing until her death in 1971 at age 87. Since then, Karl Lagerfeld has led the iconic fashion house.

1. By: Deriyan Whitaker
Coco Chanel

2. History..
• Coco Chanel is one of the most powerful
entrepreneurs of the 20th century. Coco Chanel’s
real name was Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. She was
born on August 19, 1883 and was the second child
born out of five born. When Gabrielle was twelve
years old her mother died, soon after her father sent
her to an orphanage. While she stayed at the
orphanage she learned how to sow. She stayed till
she was eighteen.

3. Colleges?
• No, Coco Chanel did not
attend college. She didn’t
have money to go college
and she wasn’t really
worried about it either.

4. Prior work Experiences and Positions held?
• She found a job as a
shopkeeper specializing in the
lines and wares. Later she
became a singer and dancer in a
music hall, where she got the
name Coco.

5. Where does Coco Chanel work
now?
• Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel died
on January 10, 1971 at the age
of 87. She died in the hotel she
owned named Glitzy Ritz Hotel.
She died by a heart attack in
her hotel room.

6. Coco Chanel!
• Coco Chanel opened up her first milliner shop
in Paris in 1910, selling hats. She later added
stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began
making clothes. Her first taste of clothing
success came from a dress she made 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. In the
1920s, Chanel took her thriving business to
new heights. She launched her first perfume,
Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a
designer’s name.

7. Key Dates:
• 1922: Pierre Wertheimer agrees to back new perfume developed
by Coco Chanel, and founds Parfums Chanel.
• 1929: Company launches new fragrance, Soir de Paris.
• 1954: Coco Chanel makes Parisian comeback after fleeing to
Switzerland following World War II.
• 1974: Alain Wertheimer takes control of company.
• 1983: Karl Lagerfeld is hired as Chanel designer.
• 1996: Chanel acquires gun maker Holland & Holland. 1997:
Chanel acquires high-end swimwear designer Eres. 2001:
Chanel acquires stake in luxury watchmaker Bell & Ross.
• 2002: Chanel acquires milliner A. Michel et Cie. and embroidery
house Lesage.

8. The Company Today?
• Since Coco Chanel died in 1971 the company was
passed to Karl Lagerfeld. In 1983, Karl Lagerfeld
took over as chief designer for Chanel. He changed
Chanel's fashion lines from the old lines to shorter
cuts and eye capturing designs. During the 1980s,
more than 40 Chanel boutiques were opened up
worldwide. By the end of the 1980s, these boutiques
sold goods ranging from $200-per-ounce perfume,
$225 ballerina slippers to $11,000 dresses and
$2,000 leather handbags. Rights to Chanel
cosmetics and fragrances were held by Chanel only
and not shared with other beauty producers and
distributors.

9. Sources?
• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry
/Coco_Chanel
• http://www.famous-women-and-
beauty.com/coco-chanel-biography.html