Coco Chanel | Orphan, Fashion Icon—and Nazi?

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} // if ('scrollRestoration' in history) { history.scrollRestoration = 'manual'; } </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/at.js?v=3.130.14" async ></script> <script> dataLayer = []; </script> <script type="text/javascript">(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-5W6NC8'); </script> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "VideoObject", "uploadDate": "2024-04-16T01:36:10.686", "name" : "Coco Chanel: From quiet luxury to Nazi affiliation", "description": "The woman who would eventually become a fashion icon learned to sew in an orphanage.", "duration" : "PT3M12S", "contentUrl" : "//content.jwplatform.com/videos/viLxhNqc-Qc3NyWj4.mp4", "thumbnailUrl" : "https://cdn.britannica.com/67/255367-138-FB00EAFB/biography-fashion-designer-coco-chanel.jpg", "transcript" : "The woman who would eventually become an haute couture fashion icon learned to sew in an orphanage. Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883 but more famously known by her adopted name, Coco, she grew up in poverty in France. Her father abandoned Chanel and her siblings after her mother\u2019s death, and Chanel spent much of her childhood in a convent-run orphanage. At 18 she earned a charity spot at a boarding school in Moulins, where she found work as a seamstress and a singer at a cafe. One popular theory of how she got the nickname \u201CCoco\u201D comes from the title and lyrics of one of the songs she sang, \u201CQui qu\u2019a vu Coco?\u201D (\u201CHas anyone seen Coco?\u201D), about a young girl looking for her lost dog in Paris. Chanel\u2014young, attractive, vivacious\u2014soon became involved with several wealthy men, some army officers, some married. Her relationship with Arthur (\u201CBoy\u201D) Capel, a shipping merchant, led him to provide financial assistance to open her first shop in Paris in 1910. The shop sold hats and established her reputation\u2014and her brand. Many of her early clothing designs were inspired by menswear, both in style\u2014simple, clean lines\u2014and fabric\u2014jersey, which had never before been used for women\u2019s clothing. Her styles attracted the attention of women looking for liberation from the popular\u2014and often uncomfortable\u2014petticoats and corsets of the day. Since Chanel also liked riding horses, she designed clothes that worked with movement. More innovation followed: she introduced the now-iconic \u201Clittle black dress\u201D (which she wore with costume jewelry, another revelation) and her No. 5 perfume scent. The Chanel brand logo was established about this time, the famous linked Cs being modeled after the loops of stained glass in the orphanage where she grew up. With the outbreak of World War II, Chanel closed her businesses in France. She soon became romantically linked to a German Gestapo officer. The extent of Chanel\u2019s Nazi affiliation and whether she committed crimes to aid Adolf Hitler\u2019s cause is still debated. There is clear evidence of her anti-Semitism and collaboration with some Nazi operations. Whether she was a Nazi informant and co-conspirator remains debated. She was arrested in 1944 but released and never charged. Chanel moved to Switzerland and stayed out of the public eye for about a decade, before relaunching her career with a tweed suit and quilted purse, now both staple pieces of the Chanel brand. She died in 1971, having revolutionized fashion. Although Chanel didn\u2019t think of herself as a feminist, her designs have been recognized by the feminist movement for the freedom and comfort they offered women.", "width" : 1920, "height" : 1080, "url": "https://www.britannica.com/video/biography-fashion-designer-coco-chanel/-302504" } </script></head> <body data-leg="C" class="standalone-video-page user-ANONYMOUS user-ads md-desktop leg-cb-ie">  <script>Mendel.config.adProvider='ay';</script> <script async src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"></script> <script> window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/15510053/CMP_1x1', [1, 1], 'div-gpt-ad-1709766812090-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.enableServices(); }); </script> <script async defer src="https://launchpad-wrapper.privacymanager.io/0ccc6fe8-1870-4ad8-b47b-6d029ac116fc/launchpad-liveramp.js"></script> <script async src="https://JRyhoywLYXNLYMAhs.ay.delivery/manager/JRyhoywLYXNLYMAhs" type="text/javascript" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" ></script><div class="ie-warning d-flex align-items-center align-self-center justify-content-center site-alert bg-orange"> <div> You are using an <strong>outdated</strong> browser. 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</div> <div class="related-topics mt-20 font-14 text-muted"> <strong>Related Articles:</strong> <span id="related-articles"> <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Coco-Chanel">Coco Chanel</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/dress-clothing">dress</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/tweed">tweed</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/fashion-design">fashion design</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Lagerfeld">Karl Lagerfeld</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Audrey-Tautou">Audrey Tautou</a> , <a class="" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/fashion-industry">fashion industry</a> </span> </div> <hr class="my-30 col-100"> <h2 class="font-16 text-uppercase my-30">Transcript</h2> <div id ="transcript" class="lh-lg font-serif"> The woman who would eventually become an haute couture fashion icon learned to sew in an orphanage. <br/>Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883 but more famously known by her adopted name, Coco, she grew up in poverty in France. <br/>Her father abandoned Chanel and her siblings after her mother’s death, and Chanel spent much of her childhood in a convent-run orphanage. <br/>At 18 she earned a charity spot at a boarding school in Moulins, where she found work as a seamstress and a singer at a cafe. <br/>One popular theory of how she got the nickname “Coco” comes from the title and lyrics of one of the songs she sang, “Qui qu’a vu Coco?” (“Has anyone seen Coco?”), about a young girl looking for her lost dog in Paris. <br/>Chanel—young, attractive, vivacious—soon became involved with several wealthy men, some army officers, some married. <br/>Her relationship with Arthur (“Boy”) Capel, a shipping merchant, led him to provide financial assistance to open her first shop in Paris in 1910. The shop sold hats and established her reputation—and her brand. <br/>Many of her early clothing designs were inspired by menswear, both in style—simple, clean lines—and fabric—jersey, which had never before been used for women’s clothing. <br/>Her styles attracted the attention of women looking for liberation from the popular—and often uncomfortable—petticoats and corsets of the day. <br/>Since Chanel also liked riding horses, she designed clothes that worked with movement. <br/>More innovation followed: she introduced the now-iconic “little black dress” (which she wore with costume jewelry, another revelation) and her No. 5 perfume scent. <br/>The Chanel brand logo was established about this time, the famous linked Cs being modeled after the loops of stained glass in the orphanage where she grew up. <br/>With the outbreak of World War II, Chanel closed her businesses in France. She soon became romantically linked to a German Gestapo officer. <br/>The extent of Chanel’s Nazi affiliation and whether she committed crimes to aid Adolf Hitler’s cause is still debated. <br/>There is clear evidence of her anti-Semitism and collaboration with some Nazi operations. <br/>Whether she was a Nazi informant and co-conspirator remains debated. She was arrested in 1944 but released and never charged. <br/>Chanel moved to Switzerland and stayed out of the public eye for about a decade, before relaunching her career with a tweed suit and quilted purse, now both staple pieces of the Chanel brand. <br/>She died in 1971, having revolutionized fashion. <br/>Although Chanel didn’t think of herself as a feminist, her designs have been recognized by the feminist movement for the freedom and comfort they offered women.</div> </div></div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <footer class="md-footer footer-wrapper hide-on-edit"> <div class="footer-bck"> <DIV class="marketing-FOOTER_NEWSLETTER marketing-content" data-marketing-id="FOOTER_NEWSLETTER"><div class="md-footer-newsletter-form pt-10 mb-30 mx-15 mx-sm-120"> <div class="font-18"> <strong>History at your fingertips –</strong> Sign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox! </div> <div class="p-30"> <div class="newsletter-form-container"> <form class="newsletter-form" method="post" action="/newsletter-subscription/EB_ON_THIS_DAY"> <div class="form-group grid d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="col-sm-50 col-100"> <label class="sr-only" for="enter-your-email">Enter your email</label> <input id="enter-your-email" type="email" name="email" class="form-control font-18 p-10" placeholder="Enter your email" pattern="[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,4}$" required> </div> <div class="col-sm-auto col-100 mt-5 mt-sm-0"> <button type="submit" class="btn btn-outline-white" style="width: 100%; height:100%;">Subscribe</button> </div> </div> <div class="text-white pt-30 text-opacity"> By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.<br> Click here to view our <a class="link-white text-decoration-underline" href="https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy2" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Privacy Notice</a>. 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Coco Chanel | Orphan, Fashion Icon—and Nazi? | Britannica