Chanel

In 1909, Gabrielle Chanel opened a shop on the ground floor of Balsan's apartment in Paris - the beginnings of what would later become one of the greatest fashion empires in the world. The Balsan home was a meeting place of the hunting elite of France and the gentlemen brought their fashionable mistresses along, giving Coco the opportunity to sell the women decorated hats. During this time Coco Chanel struck up a relationship with Arthur 'Boy' Capel, a member of the Balsan men's group.

He saw a businesswoman in Coco and helped her acquire her location at 31 Rue Cambo in Paris by 1910. There was already a couture shop in the building and so Coco was not allowed in her lease to produce couture dresses. In 1913, Chanel introduced women's sportswear at her new boutique in Deauville and Biarritz, France. She detested the fashions of women who came to these resort towns. Chanel's designs tended to be simple rather than opulent in look .World War I affected fashion. Coal was scarce and women were doing the factory jobs that men had held prior to the war; they needed warm clothing that would stand up to working conditions. Chanel fossella's designs from this era were affected by the new idea of women's sports. During World War I, Coco opened another larger shop on Rue Cambon in front of the Hotel Ritz Paris. Here she sold flannel blazers, straight linen skirts, sailor tops, long jersey sweaters and skirt-jackets. With her financial situation precarious in the early years of her design career, Chanel purchased jersey primarily for its low cost. The fabric draped well and suited Chanel's designs, which were simple, practical, and often inspired by men's wear, especially the uniforms prevalent when World War I broke out in 1914. Her fashion became known in 1915 throughout France for its simplicity. Her boutique at 31 Rue Cambon previewed simple day dress-and-coat ensembles and black evening dresses in lace or jet-embroidered tulle

Coco Chanel established her reputation as a meticulous fashion couturier. Following the fashion trends of the 1920s, Chanel produced beaded dresses. The suit in two or three pieces created in 1920 remains a modern fashion look. The suit was advocated as the "new uniform for afternoon and evening as far back as 1915." 1921 saw the introduction of her first perfume Chanel No.5. Earnest Beaux created the fragrance for Coco and she named it after her lucky number 5. The fragrance was a success. The signature scent was a result of her belief in superstitions. She was scheduled to show her collection on the fifth day of the fifth month.

Parfums Chanel was founded in 1924. In the U.S., Chanel No.5 was seen as a passe perfume. Chanel No.5 sales were revamped by reducing the number of outlets carrying the fragrance from 18,000 to 12,000. The perfume was removed from drugstore shelves; millions of dollars was reinvested in advertisement for Chanel cosmetics. This ensured a greater sense of scarcity and exclusivity for No.5 and sales rocketed back up as demand for the fragrance increased. Coco Chanel was introduced in 1984 as luxurious and elegant evening parfum which continued the success of Parfums Chanel.

The company earned the place as a global leader in fragrance maker and marketing in the 1990s. Heavy marketing investment increased revenue. Product lines such as watches (retailing for as much as $7,000 USD), shoes, high-end clothes, cosmetics and accessories were expanded. Sales were hurt by the recession of the early 1990s but Chanel recovered by the mid-1990s with further boutique expansion. 1996 also greeted the launch of Allure fragrance and due to its immense popularity, a men's version, Allure Homme was launched in 1998.

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