Humble Beginnings: The Early Years of ‘Coco’ Chanel
 |
Free Download - Coco Chanel Perfume |
The simple mention of the name ‘Chanel’ and images of luxury, grandeur and haute couture spring up in minds across the world. As one of the most recognized and venerated brands in fashion history, Chanel came from the impoverished streets of France to revolutionize women’s fashion and liberate it from its restrictions. Thirty years after her death, Chanel’s lasting impact on the fashion world can still be felt.
Born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France, Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel was the illegitimate daughter of a shop girl and a street peddler who would know little of the comforts of a stable family life. Her mother passed away when Chanel was just six years old, and it wouldn’t be long before her father also abandoned her. Averse to fatherhood, he quickly ran off and left the young Chanel and her four siblings to fend for themselves on the streets of France. They went to live with their two aunts in Auvergne, France and it was here where Chanel learned much of the etiquette that would characterize her later career.
Living with her aunts, Chanel was taught how to be a polite little girl, to sit up straight and to learn how to sew. She took an early liking to sewing and instead of playing with dolls, spent much time dressing them in material she had cut from curtains. She also spent her time playing sports and horseback riding, atypical activities for a girl of that time. But, Chanel didn’t have the opportunities of most other children and her childhood would soon be interrupted once again.
When she was 17 years old, Chanel was sent to an Aubazine orphanage, where nuns took over as her primary caregivers. Supportive of her efforts as a seamstress, the nuns helped Chanel get a local job to build her talents. But, Chanel was bored with the simplicity of her surroundings and decided to pursue a life of excitement and stardom. She abruptly took off for the town of Moulins in an attempt to become a cabaret singer.
While singing didn’t prove to be Chanel’s forte, the experience was valuable in that it introduced her to Etienne Balsan, a rich French playboy and textile heir who took a liking to the young aspiring singer. Chanel soon found herself as a mistress to Balsan and living a luxurious life. But, Balsan had many mistresses and Chanel grew bored again. She rekindled her interest in sewing and approached Balsan with a business proposition. With more money than he knew what to do with, Balsan decided to give Chanel the money she needed to open up her own hat and dress shop in Paris.
It was a small boutique with just two teenage girls as employees, but Chanel’s first venture into the world of fashion proved successful. She became one of the popular go-to ladies for the well to do of Paris. It wouldn’t be long before Chanel was moving on to bigger and brighter things, turning her single little store into one of the most powerful empires in the fashion industry.
Humble Beginnings The Early Years of Coco Chanel
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
I really wanted to find out about who my mom named me after (my name is Chanel) All she told me was "She went from rags to riches." After reading this, I was like, "Hey...I sew doll clothes too!" Great info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!
Commented on Humble Beginnings The Early Years of Coco Chanel. |
| |
GOOD INFORMATION!
Commented on Humble Beginnings The Early Years of Coco Chanel. |
| |
It had a lot of information that i really needed for my research paper. Thanks
Commented on Humble Beginnings The Early Years of Coco Chanel. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures And Why They Thrive, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained 4000+ students worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular home staging guides made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide, Portfolio Guide and Twitter Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
|
As a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Michiel assists businesses in a professional capacity by evaluating the threats to their businesses. He acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to minimize a business owner’s risk of business failure and to maximize his chances of high growth and success. He strongly believes that you CAN maximize your chances of business success, by implementing the business solution he has advocated for more than 12 years in your business plan and planning. Michiel has decided to share his experience with business owners by putting almost everything he knows in a business plan and survival guide (compiled in an e-book format) and written as a high growth SMB coaching course for SMB business owners, directors and managers - titled as the “Survival Kit for Small and Medium Businesses - Profit from your Business Risks!” According to Michiel, his goal was to add new techniques to a business owner’s business planning survival kit and instruct him or her in using these in the future - without any help from a consultant! For more information about the benefits of implementing profit protection planning in your business, please visit: http://www.business-around-the-globe.com - Visit Michiel Jonker's Website |
|||
Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
 |
||
|
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Termination Suit Email Overload Advice Dismiss a Franchise Conversations of Leadership Sample Credit Application |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 SEO Posts - 2010
Top SEO Posts of the Year | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
 | ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
 | ||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||