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History & Philosophy

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Chanel “fashion goes, style remains”

The Chanel fashion house is today the synonymous of its founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

It all started at the beginning of the 20th century, when Coco opened a small shop on the ground floor of the Balsan apartments in Paris where he had the opportunity to sell her hats and have the opportunity to meet all the elite people of that era. And it is precisely on this occasion that she meets Arthur Capel, the first one who recognized in her an enormous potential, so much to help her to expand and transfer the activity into what today is still a key address for Parisian shopping: 31 Rue Cambon.

The pioneering use of the sportswear in jersey for the haute couture, the appropriation of masculine and minimalist lines enriched with strings of pearls and the inevitable double C logo, are the key elements that make the brand a real legend.

The revolutionary fashion woman has changed the concept of elegance by reinventing the aesthetic standards of the previous era and going against garments that are as clumsy as they are bulky, thus creating a democratic, comfortable, but immense style for all the women.

The tweed suit, the little black dress and the unmistakable Chanel perfume n.5 are affirmed as symbols of femininity and elegance together with the jewelry and embroidered leather shoulder bags and still today they are the cornerstones of the Chanel empire.

When Coco died in 1971, the maison’s guide was entrusted to Karl Lagerfeld who, with great dedication and skills, was able to keep the aesthetic codes of the brand up to date, whose current creative direction has passed into the hands of Virginie Viard, which for over 30 years was Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator.

Coco Chanel’s sensitivity, values and style are still dogmas for the fashion world and for our society.