Product Code Database
Chanel ( , ) is a French Luxury goods fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain Wertheimer and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquartered in London.
Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is well known for its No. 5 perfume and "Chanel Suit". Chanel is credited for revolutionizing haute couture and ready-to-wear by replacing structured, silhouettes with more functional garments that women still found flattering.
Coco Chanel would sell them the hats she designed and made, thus earning a living independent of Balsan. In the course of those salons, Coco Chanel befriended Boy Capel, an English socialite and Polo friend of Étienne Balsan; per the upper class social custom, Chanel also became mistress to Boy Capel. In 1910, Boy Capel financed her first independent millinery shop, Chanel Modes, at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris. Because that locale already housed a dress shop, the business-lease limited Chanel to selling only millinery products, not haute couture. Two years later 1913, the Deauville and Biarritz couture shops of Coco Chanel offered for sale Ready-to-wear sports clothes for women, the practical designs of which allowed the wearer to play sports.
The First World War (1914–1918), affected European fashion through scarcity of materials, and the mobilisation of women. By that time, Chanel had opened a large dress shop at 31 Rue Cambon, near the Hôtel Ritz, in Paris. Among the clothes for sale were flannel , straight-line skirts of linen, sailor suit, long made of jersey fabric, and skirt-and-jacket suits.
Coco Chanel used jersey cloth because of its physical properties as a garment, such as its drape – how it falls upon and falls from the body of the woman – and how well it adapted to a simple garment-design. Sartorially, some of Chanel's designs derived from the military uniforms made prevalent by the War; and, by 1915, the designs and the clothes produced by the House of Chanel were known throughout France. In 1915, Chanel opened her very first Couture House in Biarritz, France. She had 300 employees and even designed her first line of Haute Couture.
In 1915 and in 1917, Harper's Bazaar magazine reported that the garments of La Maison Chanel were "on the list of every buyer" for the clothing factories of Europe. The Chanel dress shop at 31 Rue Cambon presented day-wear dress-and-coat ensembles of simple design, and black evening dresses trimmed with lace; and tulle netting dresses decorated with jet, a minor gemstone material. After the First World War, La Maison Chanel, following the fashion trends of the 1920s, produced beaded dresses made popular by Flapper women. The simple-line, 'flat-chested' fashions Chanel couture made popular were opposite of the hourglass figure fashions of the late 19th century – the Belle Époque of France (–1914), and the British Edwardian era (–1919). Chanel used colors traditionally associated with masculinity in Europe, such as grey and navy blue, to denote feminine boldness. Costume", p. 52, Eyewitness Books. Chanel clothing often featured quilted fabric and leather trimmings; the quilted construction reinforced the fabric, design, and finish, allowing the garment to maintain its form and function while worn. An example is the Worsted Chanel suit – a knee-length skirt and a cardigan-style jacket, trimmed and decorated with black embroidery and gold-coloured buttons, often accessorized with two-tone Court shoe, a necklace of pearls, and a leather handbag.
In 1921, to complement Chanel's clothing lines, Coco Chanel commissioned perfumer Ernest Beaux to create a perfume for La Maison Chanel. His perfumes included the perfume No.5, named after the number of the sample Chanel liked best. Originally, given as a gift to clients, No.5's popularity prompted La Maison Chanel to offer it for sale in 1922.
In 1923, to explain the success of her clothes, Coco Chanel told Harper's Bazaar magazine that design "simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."
Nonetheless, despite the success of the Chanel couture and parfumerie, the personal relations between Coco and her capitalist partner deteriorated, because, Coco said that Pierre Wertheimer was exploiting her talents as a fashion designer and as a businesswoman. Wertheimer reminded Chanel that he had made her a very rich woman; and that his venture capital had funded Chanel's productive expansion of the parfumerie which created the wealth they enjoyed, all from the success of No. 5 de Chanel.
Nevertheless, unsatisfied, the businesswoman Gabrielle Chanel hired the attorney René de Chambrun to renegotiate the 10-per-cent partnership she entered, in 1924, with the Parfums Chanel company; the lawyer-to-lawyer negotiations failed, and the partnership-percentages remained as established in the original business deal among Wertheimer, Badel, and Chanel.
During the Second World War (1939–45), Coco Chanel closed shop at Maison Chanel – leaving only jewellery and parfumerie for sale – and moved to the Hôtel Ritz Paris, where she lived with her boyfriend, Hans Günther von Dincklage, a Nazi intelligence officer. Upon conquering France in June 1940, the Nazis established a Parisian occupation-headquarters in the Hôtel Meurice, on the Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Louvre Museum, and just around the corner from the fashionable Maison Chanel S.A., at 31 Rue Cambon.
Meanwhile, because of the Nazi occupation's official anti-Semitism, Pierre Wertheimer and family, had fled France to the U.S., in mid-1940. Later, in 1941, Coco Chanel attempted to assume business control of Parfums Chanel but was thwarted by an administrative delegation that disallowed her sole disposition of the parfumerie. Having foreseen the Nazi occupation policy of the seizure-and-expropriation to Germany of Jewish business and assets in France, Pierre Wertheimer, the majority partner, had earlier, in May 1940, designated Felix Amiot, a Christian French industrialist, as the "Aryanism" proxy whose legal control of the Parfums Chanel business proved politically acceptable to the Nazis, who then allowed the perfume company to continue as an operating business.Mazzeo, Tilar J. The Secret of Chanel No. 5 HarperCollins 2010, p. 150.
Occupied France abounded with rumours that Coco Chanel was a Nazi collaborationism; her clandestine identity was secret agent 7124 of the Abwehr, code-named "Westminster". As such, by order of General Walter Schellenberg, of the Sicherheitsdienst, Chanel was despatched to London on a mission to communicate to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill the particulars of a "separate peace" plan proposed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, who sought to avoid surrendering to the Red Army of the Soviet Russians.
At War's end, upon the Allied liberation of France, Chanel was arrested for having collaborated with the Nazis. In September 1944, the Free French Purge Committee, the épuration, summoned Chanel for interrogation about her collaborationism, yet, without documentary evidence of or witnesses to her collaboration with the Nazis, and because of Churchill's secret intervention in her behalf, the épuration released Coco Chanel from arrest as a traitor to France.Vaughan, Hal. Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War Alfred A. Knopf. 2011 pp. 186–87 Despite having been freed by the political grace of Churchill, the strength of the rumours of Chanel's Nazi collaboration had made it impossible for her to remain in France; so Coco Chanel and her German lover, Hans Günther von Dincklage, went into an eight-year exile to Switzerland.
In the post–war period, during Coco Chanel's Swiss exile from France, Pierre Wertheimer returned to Paris and regained formal administrative control of his family's business holdings – including control of Parfums Chanel, the parfumerie established with his venture capital, and successful because of the Chanel name.
In Switzerland, the news revived Coco Chanel's resentment at having been exploited by her business partner, for only ten per cent of the money. So she established a rival Swiss parfumerie to create, produce, and sell her "Chanel perfumes". In turn, Wertheimer, the majority capital stock owner of Parfums Chanel, saw his business interests threatened, and his commercial rights infringed because he did not possess legally exclusive rights to the Chanel name. Nonetheless, Wertheimer avoided a trademark infringement lawsuit against Coco Chanel, lest it damage the commercial reputation and the artistic credibility of his Chanel-brand parfumerie.
Pierre Wertheimer settled his business and commercial-rights quarrel with Chanel, and, in May 1947, they renegotiated the 1924 contract that had established Parfums Chanel – she was paid $400,000 in cash (wartime profits from the sales of perfume No. 5 de Chanel); assigned a 2.0 per cent running royalty from the sales of No. 5 parfumerie; assigned limited commercial rights to sell her "Chanel perfumes" in Switzerland; and granted a perpetual monthly stipend that paid all of her expenses. In exchange, Gabrielle Chanel closed her Swiss parfumerie enterprise, and sold to Parfums Chanel the full rights to the name "Coco Chanel".Mazzeo, Tilar J. The Secret of Chanel No. 5, pp. 176–77.
In 1947 – after the six-year austerities of the Second World War (1939–45) – the New Look was welcomed by the fashion business of Western Europe because sales of the pretty clothes would revive business and the economy.
To regain the business primacy of the House of Chanel, in the fashion fields of haute couture, prêt-à-porter, costume jewellery, and parfumerie, would be expensive; so Chanel approached Pierre Wertheimer for business advice and capital. Having decided to do business with Coco Chanel, Wertheimer's negotiations to fund the resurgence of the House of Chanel, granted him commercial rights to all Chanel-brand products.
In 1953, Chanel collaborated with jeweler Robert Goossens; he was to design jewelry (bijouterie and gemstone) to complement the fashions of the House of Chanel; notably, long-strand necklaces of black pearls and of white pearls, which high contrast softened the severe design of the knitted-wool Chanel Suit (skirt and cardigan jacket).
The House of Chanel also presented leather handbags with either gold-colour chains or metal-and-leather chains, which allowed carrying the handbag from the shoulder or in hand. The quilted-leather handbag was presented to the public in February 1955. In-house, the numeric version of the launching date "Chanel 2.55" for that line of handbags became the internal "appellation" for that model of the quilted-leather handbag.
The firm's initial venture into masculine parfumerie was an eau de toilette called Pour Monsieur. Chanel and her spring collection received the Fashion Oscar at the 1957 Fashion Awards in Dallas. Pierre Wertheimer bought Bader's 20 per cent share of the Parfums Chanel, which increased the Wertheimer percentage to 90 per cent.
Later, in 1965, Pierre's son, Jacques Wertheimer, assumed his father's management of the parfumerie. About the past business relationship, between Pierre Wertheimer and Coco Chanel, the Chanel attorney, Chambrun said that it had been "one based on a businessman's passion, despite her misplaced feelings of exploitation . . . thus when Pierre returned to Paris, full of pride and excitement after. He rushed to Coco, expecting congratulations and praise. But she refused to kiss him. She resented him, you see, all her life."
Coco Chanel died on 10 January 1971, at the age of 87. She was still designing at the time of her death. For example, in the (1966–1969) period, she designed the air hostess uniforms for Olympic Airlines, the designer who followed her was Pierre Cardin. In that time, Olympic Airways was a luxury airline, owned by the transport magnate Aristotle Onassis. After her death, the leadership of the company was handed down to Yvonne Dudel, Jean Cazaubon and Philippe Guibourgé. So far, the bags designed by Chanel are still very popular in the vintage market.
After a period of time, Jacques Wertheimer bought the controlling interest of the House of Chanel. Critics stated that during his leadership, he never paid much attention to the company, as he was more interested in horse breeding. In 1974, the House of Chanel launched Cristalle eau de toilette, which was designed when Coco Chanel was alive. 1978 saw the launch of the first non-couture, prêt-à-porter line and worldwide distribution of accessories.
Alain Wertheimer, son of Jacques Wertheimer, assumed control of Chanel S.A. in 1974. In the U.S., No. 5 de Chanel was not selling well. Alain revamped Chanel No.5 sales by reducing the number of outlets carrying the fragrance from 18,000 to 12,000. He removed the perfume from drugstore shelves and invested millions of dollars in advertisement for Chanel cosmetics. This ensured a greater sense of scarcity and exclusivity for No.5, and sales rocketed back up as demand for the fragrance increased. He used famous people to endorse the perfume – from Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Tautou. Looking for a designer who could bring the label to new heights, he persuaded Karl Lagerfeld to end his contract with fashion house Chloé. Chanel has partnered with friends and ambassadors over the years including notable actors, musicians, and other artists: Kwon Ji-yong, Jennie, Angèle, Whitney Peak, Caroline de Maigret, Margaret Qualley, Victoria Song, Wang Yibo, Minji, Go Youn-jung, Lily-Rose Depp, Keira Knightley, Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, and Penélope Cruz.
Maison de Chanel increased the Wertheimer family fortune to US$5 billion. Sales were hurt by the recession of the early 1990s, but Chanel recovered by the mid-1990s with further boutique expansion.
In 1994, Chanel had a net profit equivalent to €67 million on the sale of €570 million in ready-to-wear clothes and was the most profitable French fashion house.
In 1996, Chanel bought gun-makers Holland & Holland, but failed in its attempt to revamp the firm. The swimwear label Eres was also purchased in 1996. Chanel launched the perfumes Allure in 1996 and Allure Homme in 1998. The House of Chanel launched its first skin care line, Précision, in 1999. That same year, Chanel launched a travel collection, and under a license contract with Luxottica, introduced a line of sunglasses and eyeglass frames.
While Wertheimer remained chairman, Françoise Montenay became CEO and President. 2000 saw the launch of the first unisex watch by Chanel, the J12. In 2001, watchmaker Bell & Ross was acquired. The same year, Chanel boutiques offering only selections of accessories were opened in the United States. Chanel launched a small selection of menswear as a part of their runway shows.
In 2002, Chanel launched the Chance perfume and Paraffection, a subsidiary company originally established in 1997 to support artisanal manufacturing, that gathered together Ateliers d'Art or workshops including Desrues for ornamentation and buttons, Lemarié for feathers, Maison Lesage for embroidery, Massaro for shoemaking and Michel for millinery. A prêt-à-porter collection was designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
In July 2002, a jewelry and watch outlet opened on Madison Avenue. Within months, a shoe/handbag boutique opened next door. Chanel continued to expand in the United States and by December 2002, operated 25 U.S. boutiques. Chanel introduced Coco Mademoiselle and an "In-Between Wear" in 2003, targeting younger women, opened a second shop on Rue Cambon, opened a boutique in Central, Hong Kong, and paid nearly US$50 million for a building in Ginza, Tokyo.
In 2007, Maureen Chiquet was appointed CEO. She remained CEO until her termination in 2016.
In 2018, Chanel announced relocation of its global headquarters to London. In December of the same year, Chanel announced that it would ban fur and exotic skins from its collections.
In February 2019, Lagerfeld died at age 85. Virginie Viard, who had worked with Lagerfeld at the fashion house for over 30 years, was named the new Creative Director. Viard departed the brand in June 2024.
In December 2021, Leena Nair was appointed Global Chief Executive Officer.
In February 2024, Chanel opened its U.S. flagship store dedicated to watches and fine jewellery on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, near Billionaires' Row.
In December 2024, Matthieu Blazy was appointed the next artistic director of Chanel. Previously, he was creative director of Italian leather goods line Bottega Veneta where his work garnered critical acclaim and commercial success. In a 2025 Paris fashion week space-themed runway show, Chanel ventured in a new direction with industry insiders attributing the change to Blazy.
The ThyssenBornemisza National Museum in Madrid explored the relationship and reciprocal influence between Pablo Picasso and Gabrielle Chanel with a four-part exhibition (October 11, 2022 – January 15, 2023) spanning their works between 1915 and 1925.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, home to the annual Met Gala in the financial centre and fashion capital of New York City, first honoured the house with a (May 5-August 7) 2005 exhibit chronicling the work of Coco Chanel's designs dating back to the 1920s. The museum's Costume Institute will unveil a posthumous retrospective, paying homage to former Creative Director, Karl Lagerfeld (May 5-July 16).
Chanel announced (June 2021) an anchor investment in the Landscape Resilience Fund, contributing $25 million to farmers grappling with the impacts of climate change. Setting a new series of science-based targets, the company also launched the No.1 de Chanel beauty and fragrance line in 2022, with 97% naturally derived ingredients and eco-conscious packaging designed. The house also announced goals in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and reduce its emissions from value chain by 40% by 2030. As part of the Chanel Mission 1.5 Climate Action Plan, the brand has pledged to transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2025. The company is also sourcing eco-responsible tweeds; shifting to maritime transport with a goal of 80% shipments by sea by 2024; and supporting land and livelihood projects throughout communities in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. In January 2024, Chanel launched an initiative with the consortium of 15 cosmetics-manufacturers, called the Traceability Alliance for Sustainable Cosmetics to catalyze traceability in the cosmetics sector.
Yana Peel, global head of arts and culture said of the Fund in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, "At a time when we are navigating our way through complex new environments around the world, we know that artists generate transformative ideas that help us envision the way forward. Chanel has always championed the vitality and advancement of the arts, and we now expand that tradition through the Fund with a focus on supporting cultural innovators and path-breakers who are mapping out what's next."
In 2022, Chanel donated €2 million towards Care and UNHCR. The money will go to Ukraine to help it during the Russian invasion.
Worldwide, Chanel S.A. operates around 310 Chanel boutiques; 94 in Asia, 70 in Europe, 10 in the Middle East, 128 in North America, 1 in Central America, 2 in South America, and 6 in Oceania. The shops are located in wealthy communities, usually in department stores like Harrods and Selfridges, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, high streets, shopping districts, and inside airports. In 2015, the company paid a record $152 million for 400 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. This is the most expensive amount paid for retail space in Los Angeles. In October 2020, the company bought its flagship Bond Street boutique in London for £310 million.
In 2018, Chanel filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court of the Southern District of New York, alleging The RealReal was hosting counterfeit (fake) Chanel products on their website and implying to customers that an affiliation existed between the two.
Due to the high volume of Chanel counterfeits, the legal department at Chanel has set up a website to educate consumers about "Spotting Fake vs Authentic CHANEL Products". Many fashion bloggers are spreading awareness about identifying fake luxury items such as Chanel's products.
Chanel's pricing strategy has involved regular increases to reinforce the brand's exclusivity. The Classic Flap bag, for example, has seen its price rise from $220 at its inception to over $10,000 in recent years. These adjustments are influenced by factors such as rising material and labor costs, as well as strategic pricing decisions to maintain the brand's luxury positioning.
As of 2024, Chanel holds 25% stake in MB&F, 20% in F. P. Journe and undisclosed stakes in Romain Gauthier and Bell & Ross.
===Gallery===
| Karl Lagerfeld | Fall–Winter 2010 | Paris | Grand Palais | 6 July 2010 | Haute couture | A lion | On order |
| Spring–Summer 2011 | 5 October 2010 | Ready-to-wear | An orchestra | March 2011 | |||
| Paris–Byzance | 31 rue Cambon | 7 December 2010 | A Byzantine palace | May 2011 | |||
| Spring–Summer 2011 | Pavillon Cambon–Capucines | 25 January 2011 | Haute couture | Ballet Spring–Summer 2011 Haute Couture Video" , CHANEL CHANEL Couture SS2011" , Haute Couture News | On order | ||
| Fall–Winter 2011 | Grand Palais | 8 March 2011 | Ready-to-wear | A frozen garden | September 2011 | ||
| Cruise 2011 | Antibes | Hôtel du Cap | 5 May 2011 | Cruise collection | Outdoors | November 2011 | |
| Fall–Winter 2011 | Paris | Grand Palais | 5 July 2011 | Haute couture | Night-time Place Vendôme Fall–Winter 2011 Haute Couture Video" , CHANEL CHANEL Couture FW2011" , Haute Couture News | On order | |
| Spring–summer 2012 | 4 October 2011 | Ready-to-wear | Under the Sea and Florence | March 2012 | |||
| Paris–Bombay | 6 December 2011 | An Indian palace, CHANEL | May 2012 | ||||
| Spring–Summer 2012 | 24 January 2012 | Haute couture | An aeroplane in flight, CHANEL | On order | |||
| Fall–Winter 2012–2013 | 6 March 2012 | Ready-to-wear | Quartz World | September 2012 | |||
| Cruise 2013 | Versailles | Palace of Versailles | 13 May 2012 | Cruise collection | Gardens of Versailles | November 2012 | |
| Fall–Winter 2012 | Paris | Grand Palais | 3 July 2012 | Haute couture | New Vintage | On order | |
| Spring–Summer 2013 | 2 October 2012 | Ready-to-wear | New energy | March 2013 | |||
| Paris-Edinburgh | Linlithgow | Linlithgow Palace | 4 December 2012 | Ready-to-wear | Barbarian romance | May 2013 | |
| Spring–Summer 2013 | Paris | Grand Palais | 22 January 2013 | Haute couture | The Forest | On order | |
| Fall–Winter 2013–2014 | 5 March 2013 | Ready-to-wear | Around the world | September 2013 | |||
| Cruise 2014 | Singapore | Dempsey Hill Army Barracks | 9 May 2013 | Cruise collection | Vacation | November 2013 | |
| Fall–Winter 2013–2014 | Paris | Grand Palais | 2 July 2013 | Haute couture | The future | On order | |
| Spring–Summer 2014 | 1 October 2013 | Ready-to-wear | Art | March 2014 | |||
| Métiers d'art Paris-Dallas 2013–2014 | Dallas | Fair Park | 11 December 2013 | Ready-to-wear | Texas/ Americana | May 2014 | |
| Spring–Summer 2014 | Paris | Grand Palais | 21 January 2014 | Haute couture | Sport | On order | |
| Fall–Winter 2014–2015 | 4 March 2014 | Ready-to-wear | The Chanel Shopping Center | September 2014 | |||
| Cruise 2015 | Dubai | The World | 14 May 2014 | Cruise collection | Arabia | November 2014 | |
| Fall–Winter 2014–2015 | Paris | Grand Palais | 8 July 2014 | Haute couture | Pied-à-terre | On order | |
| Spring–Summer 2015 | 30 September 2014 | Ready-to-wear | Chanel Boulevard | March 2015 | |||
| Spring–Summer 2015 | 27 January 2015 | Haute couture | Paper Flowers | On order | |||
| Fall–Winter 2015–2016 | 10 March 2015 | Ready-to-wear | Brasserie | September 2015 | |||
| Cruise 2016 | Seoul | Dongdaemun Design Plaza | 4 May 2015 | Cruise collection | K-pop | November 2015 | |
| Fall–Winter 2015–2016 | Paris | Grand Palais | 7 July 2015 | Haute couture | Casino | On order | |
| Spring–Summer 2016 | 6 October 2015 | Ready-to-wear | Airport | March 2016 | |||
| Spring–Summer 2016 | 26 January 2016 | Haute couture | Zen garden | On order | |||
| Fall–Winter 2016–2017 | 8 March 2016 | Ready-to-wear | No set | September 2016 | |||
| Cruise 2017 | Havana | Paseo del Prado, Havana | 4 May 2016 | Cruise collection | Old Havana | November 2016 | |
| Fall–Winter 2016–2017 | Paris | Grand Palais | 5 July 2016 | Haute couture | Atelier | On order | |
| Spring–Summer 2017 | 4 October 2016 | Ready-to-wear | Mainframe | March 2017 | |||
| Spring–Summer 2017 | 24 January 2017 | Haute couture | Mirrors | On order | |||
| Fall–Winter 2017–2018 | 7 March 2017 | Ready-to-wear | Space Exploration | September 2017 | |||
| Métiers d'art Paris–Hamburg 2017–2018 | Hamburg | Elbphilharmonie | 6 December 2017 | Ready-to-wear | Sailors Uniforms | May 2018 | |
| Spring–Summer 2018 | Paris | Grand Palais | 23 January 2018 | Haute couture | French Garden | On order | |
| Cruise 2018 | Paris | 3 May 2018 | Cruise collection | Cruise | On order | ||
| Fall–Winter 2018–2019 | Paris | 3 July 2018 | Haute couture | Atelier | On order | ||
| Spring–Summer 2019 | 3 October 2018 | Ready-to-wear | Chanel by the Sea | On order | |||
| Métiers d'art Paris–New York 2018–2019 | Bangkok | Metropolitan Museum of Art | 6 December 2019 | Ready-to-wear | Ancient Egypt | June 2019 | |
| Spring–Summer 2019 | Paris | Grand Palais | 23 January 2019 | Haute couture | Mirrors | On order | |
| Fall–Winter 2019–2020 | 6 March 2019 | Ready-to-wear | Chanel in the Snow / Alpine Village | September 2019 | |||
| Virginie Viard | Cruise 2019–2020 | Paris | 3 May 2019 | Cruise collection | Train Station | November 2019 | |
| Fall–Winter 2019–2020 | 2 July 2019 | Haute couture | Coco's Library | On order | |||
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