Inspirational Coco CHANEL: From an Orphanage, to absolute Fashion Glory

FG10 came across 10 overwhelming facts about the Coco Chanel; we read them over and over again and all you could notice is one wave of inspiration. The determination, the creativity and innovative mind she carried are clearly the reason of why CHANEL still stands as one of the most prominent fashion brands the industry has ever known.

Chanel posing in her own perfume advertisement (1937)

It caught our eyes since we're in a time where emerging talents are struggling to find their way to the runway. Perhaps, these few facts will touch you and inspire you the way they did to us. Perhaps these facts will show you that passion and determination can take you anywhere, that there is never an "end", but continuous new beginnings that unveil at the threshold of every accomplishment. We hope these facts tell you that there is nothing as "I'm there"; instead, there's "I want to do more - this isn't just it..".

Ali MacGraw - star of "Love Story"

TEN Inspirational Facts about Coco Chanel

She was born in France in 1883 and was part of a big family, as one of five children.

When Coco was 12, her mother passed away from tuberculosis and her father left the family; she spent the next six years in an orphanage.

She became a licensed hat-maker and owned her first shop in 1910.

She introduced her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, in 1922, and it was one of the first perfumes ever to mix natural and artificial essences.

She invented the “Little Black Dress” in 1926, which French Vogue dubbed “Chanel’s Ford”, for its practicality and marketability.

She is credited with popularizing the concept of “costume jewelry” in the 1920s, creating seasonal jewelry that mixed fake pearls with real stones.

She introduced the idea of using jersey fabric to create clothing, which had prior been used only for men’s undergarments.

She and her brand are most well known for costume jewelry, two-tone shoes, quilted bags, and simple suits made of tweed or jersey.

Her classic Chanel suit became famous for its flattering cut, simple fabric, and specially weighted lining, to give it that perfect hang.

She died in 1971 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the age of 88.