Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer born in Paris in 1883 to parents Albert Chanel and Eugénie Jeanne. She never married or had children and lived her whole life in Paris, where she studied fashion design though not formally at university. Chanel made a career as a personal stylist and costume designer, gaining fame for her designs for Hollywood actors. She won the prestigious Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1957 before passing away in Paris in 1971 at the age of 87.