Coco Chanel

The epitome of French elegance and style is represented by the Chanel fashion house. The little black dress, characteristic suits and dresses, accessories, and perfumes made by Chanel's founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel are what make her the most well-known French fashion designer. Chanel would develop into a legendary French brand.

When her mother passed away when she was 12 years old, she became an orphan and spent the next six years in an orphanage. Her signature black and white hues as well as the stain glass windows of the Abby later inspired her to create the intertwined CC brand logo for Chanel. The austere life in the Abby would eventually have a strong influence on her designs. At initially, Chanel catered to the affluent and stylish elites, offering them simple and elegant fashions. Due to the lack of textiles following the First World War, she freed the feminine form by doing away with corsets and waistlines in favor of looser gowns made of jersey fabrics. She was regarded as avant-garde because of her straightforward, more usable forms in manly tones. Despite having a straightforward yet classy appearance and hardly ever appearing in public without her trademark pearls, Chanel would go on to become a global fashion icon.

Birth - Death: 1883 - 1971