The History of Chanel

Who was the woman behind the house?

She was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on 19 August 1883, in Saumur, in western France. Her mother died when she was eleven, and her father placed her with the convent at Aubazine, where the nuns ran an orphanage. She spent six years there, and it was there that she learned to sew.

At eighteen she moved on to Moulins, where she sang in a cabaret, and it was in Moulins that she picked up the name Coco. Accounts of where it came from differ. One links it to a song she performed; she herself liked to say that her father gave it to her.

How did the house begin?

In 1910 Gabrielle opened Chanel Modes, a hat shop at 21 rue Cambon in Paris. A boutique in the seaside resort of Deauville followed, and in 1915 she opened her first couture house, in Biarritz.

In 1918 she bought the building at 31 rue Cambon and moved her couture house there, with the boutique, the salons and the workshops under one roof. The house still keeps that arrangement today, and 31 rue Cambon remains its home.

What did she change about the way women dressed?

Comfort, above all, and the freedom to move. She dressed women for the lives they actually led, and the pieces that came out of that idea are still the vocabulary of the house.

Why did the house close, and how did it return?

In 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, she closed her couture house. Of her buildings on rue Cambon, only the boutique at number 31 stayed open, selling perfume and accessories.

On 5 February 1954, fifteen years after closing, she reopened with a new collection. The first reviews were lukewarm, and it was American Vogue that recognised what she was doing. Her pared-back suits found their audience, and the house has never looked back.

Where does the 2.55 fit into the story?

In February 1955, a year after her return, she introduced a quilted leather bag on a flat-link chain, named for the month and year of its birth: the 2.55. It could be worn on the shoulder, leaving the hands free, and its quilting, chain and turn-lock became codes the house still builds on. We tell its full story, and how to tell it apart from the Classic Flap that followed, in our guide to the Classic Flap and the 2.55.

Who has led the house since?

Gabrielle died at the Ritz in Paris on 10 January 1971, aged 87. In 1983 Karl Lagerfeld was named artistic director, and for more than three decades he reworked her codes for new generations, among them the Classic Flap, with its interlocking turn-lock and its chain laced with leather.

After his death in February 2019 he was succeeded by Virginie Viard, his close collaborator for around thirty years, who left the house in June 2024. Matthieu Blazy was announced as artistic director in December 2024, and he presented his first collection at the Grand Palais in Paris on 6 October 2025.

How do you care for a piece of that history?

The pieces that carry this story were made to be worn, and they ask for considered care rather than a life in the dust bag. Many of the quilted bags are made in lambskin or in caviar, a grained calfskin. Both are leather, so every product goes onto the Application Mitt first and is then smoothed over the bag, never sprayed directly onto it.

Before first wear, a light coat of Water and Stain Guard helps protect against water, marks and colour transfer, for total peace of mind. A new bag needs nothing more. Once the leather is no longer new, Nourishing Conditioner, the only one of our conditioners with a UV filter, keeps it supple through years of carrying. Our guide to caring for caviar leather covers the grained leathers in detail.

The turn-lock and chain take the most contact of all. Our Hardware Protectors Compatible with Chanel are made to order for each style and help shield that hardware from everyday scratches.

FAQs

When did Gabrielle open her first shop?

In 1910, when she opened a hat shop at 21 rue Cambon in Paris. In 1918 she moved her couture house to 31 rue Cambon, which is still its home.

Where did the name Coco come from?

Accounts differ. She picked it up while singing in a cabaret in Moulins, and it is often linked to a song she performed there, though she liked to say her father gave it to her.

When was the little black dress introduced?

American Vogue published one of her long-sleeved black dresses in October 1926 and likened it to Ford's Model T, a design for everyone.

Who designs for the house today?

Matthieu Blazy, announced as artistic director in December 2024. He follows Virginie Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld in 2019.

How should I care for a lambskin or caviar bag?

Both are leather, so apply every product with the Application Mitt rather than spraying the bag. Water and Stain Guard before first wear helps protect against marks and colour transfer.

Made to be carried

Gabrielle made clothes and bags for women who lived in them, and the finest tribute a collector can pay her is to do exactly that. Protect the piece, then carry it. Your bag has a history worth knowing and a future worth wearing, and we are here for every chapter of it.