an 18-year-old girl is standing at the door of a Convent about to make one of the most crucial decisions of her life the girl has been brought up in an orphanage run by nuns since the age of 12 because her mother is dead and her father abandoned her but now is the moment where she must decide whether to become a nun herself or go out into the world and the girl decides to walk away from the convin into the unknown to try and build a life for herself this girl would later become the global fashion
icon Coco Chanel so how did this poor girl from an orphanage become the most famous fashion design Des of the 20th century and build a business that is today worth billions of dollars and how did she profit from two world wars and still survive despite being labeled a secret Nazi spy well here's the thing there's two versions of Chanel's story there's the version Chanel used to tell and then there's the truth welcome to the controversial life of Coco Chanel and the rise fall and Rise Again of the fashion Empire [Music] on the 19th of August
1883 Gabrielle Chanel was born into poverty in a small town in France her father traveled from town to town selling clothes whilst her mother made money laundering clothes however when Chanel was just 12 years old her mother died and soon after her father abandoned her sending her to an orphanage run by nuns those nuns turned out to be stricter than a Jailer and she never see her father again Chanel was miserable here and couldn't wait to be an adult and Escape those orphanage walls the only enjoyable part was she learned the art of stitching and
sewing and eventually started making embellished hats and dresses at the age of 18 Chanel left the orphanage run by the nuns and enrolled in the nraam finishing school for girls to develop her skills further she wanted to create a brand new life for herself away from the sufferings of her past and aspired to live a life of luxury like the ladies of high society to Chanel it was obvious that to live her dream life she needed just one thing lots of money the only question was how [Music] in 1903 as Chanel turned 20 years old
she got a job as a seamstress it was a modest job but her first little step into the big fashion industry Chanel was working in a place that was frequently visited by off-duty soldiers who needed their uniforms tailored and it didn't take long for Chanel to capture their attention apart from her exemplary sewing skills Chanel was as one soldier putet enchantingly beautiful one day a soldier invited her to an evening of live musical performance Chanel initially felt awkward because for the first time in her life she was attending an event where she would be in
the same rooms as the elites who she'd envied from a distance but that night at the music performance Chanel saw that even amateurs were given the chance to perform on stage and since she was something of a singer herself she sensed an opportunity to impress the crowd she got up to sing and this led to her getting an evening job where she began singing in clubs some believe this is how she got her nickname Coco as she often sang a song with the lyrics who has seen Coco however Chanel herself once claimed the name KOCO
was short for the French word for kept woman the thing is Chanel is a pretty unreliable narrator of her own life as she frequently changed details of her past for example she told people she lived with her aunts growing up instead of the orphanage but regardless of where the name came from Gabrielle Chanel embraced it fully and went by Coco Chanel from then on and thus Chanel worked as a seamstress in the day working long hours creating various garments and then a singer in the club in the evenings performing for the crowds and it was
at one of these shows that Chanel first met a rich Playboy and Polo player called Eon balson before long she began an affair with him and became his m some believe Chanel saw balson as a way for her to get into the inner circle of high society as she soon began mingling with the upper class and wealthy Aristocrats thanks to her connections to balson Chanel even began living in balson Chateau where he regularly used to shower her with the finest presents be it the dresses or jewelry he would gift her the best of contemporary fashion
however after a while Chanel seemed to stop wearing the clothes Balan bought her he assumed she was upset with him but the truth was Shanel was frustrated that all of the fashion for women was designed by men their designs were only decorative and not practical or comtable to wear women were compelled to wear gowns that were so tight at the waist they felt suffocating and that's when Chanel saw an opportunity and did something so bizarre that it would initially enrage almost all of the fashion Community whil attending an event with Balon Chanel turned up wearing
a man's suit that had been tailored to fit her body along with one of balon's ties she was also wearing one of the boa hats she herself had designed basically she was dressed up in all men's clothing from head to toe instead of a dressed with a corset like other women it was an eccentric look and everyone was talking about it Chanel got exactly the amount of attention she wanted after this Chanel began working on her own designs trying to make the point that a woman didn't need to wear tight dresses or long skirts all
the time luxury could be comfortable andless Chanel continued to raise eyebrows with her clothing for example when she wore pants in Venice while traveling in a gondola fascinated by her Innovative designs balson gave Chanel a small room in his Chateau where she could pursue her hat making and clothes designing however balson saw it as a hobby for her while Chanel was planning something much bigger she was determined to turn it into a business there was one problem though Chanel needed investment to make that happen and while she knew many wealthy Aristocrats who would shower her
with expensive gifts when it came to actually investing in a business for her nobody seemed willing to take the risk Chanel was getting restless and then one day when she was 26 years old at one of balon's parties she met a friend of his called Arthur Capel an extremely rich Englishman and this relationship would completely change the direction of Chanel's life as the two not only fell in love but also became business partners Chanel left Balon for Capel and the couple moved to Paris capelle saw Chanel's talent and in 1910 gave her the help needed
to open her own small store in Paris initially selling the Hat she made despite Capel putting up some of the initial money and offering some of his business experience to help get things started it was Chanel's talent that really helped the shop become a success as her designs were very unique and quickly became very popular her hats were elegant and functional unlike the oversized fruit ball decorative hats which French women were wearing earlier before long her designs became a sensation in the city because every popular French actress and socialite was wearing them as her hats
continued to sell well and her business grew Chanel began hiring people to help her and also decided to introduce a line of her own casual luxury wear Chanel's Vision was clear she wanted to be a rich woman as soon as she could and she quickly figured out her best option was to Target Fran's rich and famous and she realized doville was the place where these privileged people hung out and spent their vacations so Chanelle headed there herself for a beach holiday with capelle and for capelle it was just a sweet romantic getaway but for Chanel
this trip was to scout out the perfect location for her first ever Boutique during the trip she found a spot she loved and thus in the year 1913 House of Chanel officially opened its doors in this very wealthy area Chanel's first collection was crafted from the jersey fabric which was mostly used for men's underwear until then but these Jersey garments quickly became All the Rage in women's fashion because of their Simplicity and functionality it was the first time French women were wearing dresses that were comfortable as well as stylish Chanel said I want to give
women the possibility to laugh and eat without necess necessarily having to faint finally Chanel was basking in the glory of her success but unfortunately the spotlight didn't last long the world was going through a crisis tensions were rising in Europe before anyone could predict War erupted in 1914 during the war people were struggling to get basic resources like food and shelter so nobody was even thinking about buying luxury fashion as expected Chanel's business collapsed European men left for the battlefield and their wives took over the Daily Grind women now started working in the factories so
there was no way they would wear dresses with Frills and Feathers many would have got disheartened by these circumstances and quit but Chanel instead understood the requirements of the time and came up with an idea she made practical changes in her designs and launched a daily wear collection for women using her signature Jersey material that would be more suitable for the jobs women were now doing her Jersey dresses became a huge hit amongst women in the workforce and Chanel's reputation grew even further by the 1920s Chanel had turned wartime obstacles into opportunity she later remarked
the world was dying while another was being born an opportunity came forward and I took it however while Chanel's professional life was going absolutely great the rest of her life was certainly [Music] not Chanel was Conquering the business world but her relationship with Capel was getting bitter she was madly in love with Capel but one day he told her he was going to marry the daughter of an English aristocrat it was the year 1918 the same year World War I ended but Chanel was heartbroken and felt betrayed the truth was Capel loves Chanel too but
his background meant he was expected to marry someone with a title where Chanel didn't have any Rank and were still looked down on by many in the upper class ironically those same Aristocrats who refused to exception L because of her background and Status would later be queuing up to wear her clothing however even after capelle got married to another woman Chanel continued both their business and romantic relation relationship she was his mistress now but she took solace in the fact that Capel was still present in her life as the two would still secretly meet each
other however on December 22nd 1919 everything changed Chanel's whole life turned upside down when she heard the news that Capel had been killed in a car accident it's believed he was on his way to visit Chanel when he died with capel's death Chanel lost the only person in her life she considered family the love of her life was gone and that was the last time anybody saw Coco Chanel crying [Music] Chanel was now lonely and angry this ignited a fire within her she wanted revenge on the elites who she blamed for capel's death and splitting
them apart within 2 years Chanel launched a new product a perfume called Chanel Number Five it was released in 1921 and at this point women were really only wearing oils that had a single scense like vanilla where Chanel number five mies different scents together and created something unique that soon became a symbol of class and luxury Chanel Number Five became the best selling perfume in the world and of course is still popular even to this day it was such an iconic scent that when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wor to bed she replied just
a few drops of Chanel Number Five there was one big problem though with her lover and business partner Capel dead Chanel needed a new business partner since back then women actually couldn't have their own bank accounts and when it came to things like business deals and contracts she didn't know what to do as capella had always taken care of those so in 1924 she found a new business partner and investor a very wealthy man with experience in luxury fashion brands named Pierre verer whilst this partnership allowed her to stay in business the contract Chanel signed
only left her with 10% of the profits from the sales of Chanel Number Five it was an unfair deal but she'd signed it and would be fighting it the rest of her life around the same time Chanel's brand logo was unveiled the interlock Seas which are now recognized globally she also introduced several trends that would having a massive impact on fashion such as the two-tone shoe and little black dress along with sports wear and swimsuits for women Chanel herself continued to dress in traditionally masculine clothing and really p had shorter dresses eliminating corsets and the
idea that luxury should be comfortable and fashion for women could be more practical along with dominating the fashion industry Chanel was also dating The Duke of Westminster and as a result Chanel got invited to many Royal functions and even befriended Winston Churchill it does seem that throughout her life Chanel repeatedly managed to charm some very influential men in order to get her into the Social Circle she wanted and grow her business Ambitions by the 1930s Chanel had also launched a jewelry line and famous Handbags and movie stars were wearing Chanel items however the 30s also
saw the rise of Nazi Germany and by the time Chanel and the Juke broke up Europe was once again headed for [Music] war in 1940 the German Army invaded Paris and completely took over the city Chanel closed her stores which meant putting thousands out of work Chanel's biography states she then fled to Lake Geneva for the war but this is not true she remained in Paris and moved into the hotel rits and this this hotel ended up being where the Nazis set up their headquarters meaning Chanel was living amongst them during World War II in
fact she ended up getting into a relationship with one senior German officer named Hans gun for Von Dinklage so she was quite literally Sleeping with the Enemy as a result of this whilst the Nazis destroyed many homes and businesses in France Chanel was fine in fact her perfume Boutique remained open now some say Chanel simply befriended the Germans in order to keep herself and a business safe but that she was never actually loyal to them but others believe Chanel was a Nazi sympathizer as there is some evidence to suggest she was anti-semitic herself or at
the very least that she joined the German side as she felt they would win the war we don't know her true motivations but it does seem clear that Chanel became a secret agent for the Nazis during the war as they felt they could utilize her connections to the elite such as some of the British royal family she knew from dating The Duke of Westminster so Chanel seemingly carried out missions for the Germans such as being deployed to Madrid to connect with Allied Personnel under the guise of business plans for a while Chanel's involvement with the
Nazis was mostly just rumored but then a book was released in 2011 called Sleeping with the Enemy Coco Chanel secret War which pieced everything together using French police archives that were now Declassified and cross referenced with documents from other countries the book claims that Chanel was not just working with the Nazis but touring Europe trying to recruit new agents for the Third Reich it's also claimed she used her connections to gain secret information for the Nazis and convince other people to do tasks that would help the Germans during World War II according to these now
Declassified documents in 1944 the Nazis even SEL on a mission to negotiate a surrender with the Allies as she personally knew Winston Churchill however Churchill rejected the deal since by that point it was becoming clearer Germany would lose the war however for Koko Chanel her reason for helping the Germans could well have been that she once again sensed the business opportunity you see during Germany's occupation of France they'd introduced their anti-semitic laws such as Jewish people being banned from owning companies and the man who Chanel had gone into business with Pierre bimer was Jewish Chanel
had always viewed him as a leech since she was getting just 10% of the profits from her own business and it's believed Chanel saw this as an opportunity to nullify her contract with him and that the Nazis would help her reclaim full ownership of her successful perfume company unfortunately for Chanel Pierre was too smart he temporarily transferred his ownership stake in Chanel's company to a Christian friend of his and then he fled the country when he returned after the war his friend simply transferred Pierre his shares back thus meaning Chanel was stuck only receiving 10%
of the profits by the time the war ended Chanel dumped hands onon Dinklage but word of their Affair spread like wildfire and Chanel was labeled a German collaborator and spy before she could leave France Chanel got arrested before we get to the next chapter I think we can all agree that running a business can sometimes get stressful especially if you're dealing with gift returns late deliveries and a mountain of customer emails but that's where today's video sponsor ship station comes in ship station makes it easy to grow your business by handling your orders from every
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can try ship station completely free for 2 months that's two fre months of easy order management and cheaper shipping so make this new year your best year and grow your business with shipstation go to shipstation.com magnates today and sign up for a free 60-day trial that's shipstation.com slm magnates to get started now for free after the war thousands of parisians were tried for treason if they'd helped the Nazis and yet Chanel was not included in this she was taken in for questioning but it was claimed there was a lack of evidence so wasn't charged this
is particularly oddd because German officers testified Chanel had worked for them as a spy and yet Chanel got off completely free one optimistic Theory here is that Chanel was actually a double agent and never really helping the Nazis but there's no evidence for this the most popular theory is that Winston Churchill intervened to keep her safe as Chanel had a lot of very sensitive Intel and damaging information about high-ranking British politicians Royals and Elites and Churchill didn't want all those Secrets getting out it's also suspected Chanel used her other high ranking connections along with her
considerable wealth to bribe people and cover up her involvement with the Nazis however we don't know for sure the author of the book on this subject even said he couldn't figure out why the Allies let her get away with it but the book does claim Chanel paid off the family of the chief of the SS to not publish anything about her suggesting Chanel did quite likely manage to cover up her involvement with the Germans during World War II thanks to her wealth and influence despite not being charged officially after the war Chanel got a very
bad reception in France as there were constant rumors about her helping the Nazis her reputation was shattered and the house of Chanel was in ruins it was not safe for her anymore to live in Paris so she fled to Switzerland and stayed in hiding for almost a decade however Chanel kept observing the evolution of the Fashion World from the sidelines and she felt disappointed by everything she saw the designs of Christian Dior annoyed her the most he was making stiff and ornamental dresses and Chanel hated them and said he dressed women like armchairs eventually she
couldn't stay away from the Fashion World any longer she was convinced that modern women needed her so she decided to re-enter the fashion scene she wanted to rebuild her brand Legacy strangely it was actually Pierre ver Heimer who helped Chanel make a comeback even though Chanel had tried to nullify their contract during the war and also unsuccessfully sued Pierre afterwards Pierre knew that having her on board again would ultimately help the company make more money and thus in 1954 age 71 Chanel reopened her fashion house after it had been closed for 15 years since the
war but the day she launched her new fashion line the French media pounced on her understandably people had not forgiven her they rejected her collection and called it a disaster in France there was nothing but bad publicity for her new clothing line however before long her dresses traveled to America and people over there fell in love with them whether it was because they didn't know of Chanel's involvement with the Nazis or they were just putting it all behind them Chanel's new collection aligned with the way modern Americans wanted to dress soon Chanel's clothing was popular
with American celebrities and Hollywood actresses prominent women of the time like Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor all wore Chanel Despite All Odds Chanel had finally reclaimed her fashion queen possession and even age 75 she was still launching successful New Designs such as the classic tweet Su but but Chanel died in the year 1971 aged 87 and before long fashion designer Carl Lagerfeld took over as creative director of the company and helped grow the business even further interestingly the Chanel company is still owned by the verim family to this day whil Pierre is long gone his
grandsons now control the brand and together they have a net worth of over $30 billion and of course the house of Chanel has continued to be an extremely Famous Brand that still inspires prominent fashion designers around the globe Chanel's marketing is particularly genius they create cinematic minifilms where you forget you're watching an ad but of course despite Chanel's business success the company has still had a few controversies even after their founder had gone for example the 2021 Advent calendar they released for $825 generated a lot of bad press since it contained items like stickers and
pins and so many customers felt like the brand was ripping them off then again compared to the company founder being a spy in helping Hitler I guess it's not exactly that big of a controversy which leads us to the final and most interesting question what should we think of Coco Chanel there is no doubt that that KOCO Chanel can be accredited with some of the most influential Creations in fashion history she was a Pioneer an innovator and considering she started out in poverty sent to an orphanage with no prospects the way she managed to leverage
connections and build a gigantic business is remarkable however what you could say that during the war she did what she needed to do to survive the evidence does suggest she was actively helping the Nazis which raises an even more complicated ethical question should the actions of Koco Chanel affect how we see the company today because although the company is named after her she's long gone and it's not even like the Chanel family owns the business so can you separate the Creator from what the company is today the reality is opinions on Chanel will be divided
but I will leave you with a quote from Koko Chanel herself that's possibly the most ruthlessly epic quote I've ever heard which is I don't care what you think of me I don't think about you at all now quick question for you why is it that so many of these luxury fashion brands have such controversial stories for example the story of Versace literally involves murder it's wild so go check it out yourself right now by clicking the thumbnail on screen I'll see you there cheers
