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Coco Chanel was a female entrepreneur living in a world that was dominated by men in the early 20th Century. She was undoubtedly light years ahead of her time and helped women everywhere by giving them the inspiration and drive to break out of traditional female roles within the home and branch out on their own. Chanel was one of the first women to buck the male conventions of business, and as such will go down in history as an important figure in women’s history, but what exactly did she do?

The Early Coco

Gabrielle Bonheaur Chanel was born on August 19, 1883 in a poorhouse in Auvergne, France. Her mother worked there to try and feed the family. However, Chanel only knew her mother for some six years before she died and was left in the care of equally poor relatives. Chanel was determined not to spend her life working her fingers to the bone as her mother had and began making different entrepreneurial plans at the age of 18.

Coco, as she became known during a brief spell as a café singer, realised that the only way for a woman to make it on her own was to make connections, which she happily did through two wealthy men, a French military man and an English industrialist. She had affairs with both and seemed to capture their hearts, but it was their wallets that they gladly opened to give her the start she so desperately wanted on her way to becoming an entrepreneur.

Coco Fashion In 1910

With the support of both men and their contacts, Chanel was able to open a millinery shop in Paris in 1910. It soon became popular with the ladies that followed fashion. However, this success was not enough for Chanel, who soon became one of the most popular designers in Paris. In fact, many experts argue today that it was Chanel and her entrepreneurial aspirations that made fashion as big an industry as it is today.

Her designs were very simplistic and comfortable, which was a marked departure from the old fashions on the late 19th Century. They were also stylish though so she could afford to ask for high prices for each of the pieces. As a budding entrepreneur, Chanel soon became synonymous with confidence, independence and the modern woman, thus helping pave the way for other women to follow into high fashion and rival the men as the most successful fashion designer in the industry.

The Entrepreneur’s Progress

With a cult following, Chanel was able to build her reputation and ensure that all of her designs would be a hit. However, she went further than that. Her designs are still relevant today. She designed and brought the women’s suit into being, taking a leaf out of the male book. She also came up with the idea for the little black dress and costume jewellery. Over the years, the Chanel fashion house grew in importance and became synonymous with fashion. Given her early life, this was simply amazing

The world of fashion has a lot to thank this icon for, but so do women everywhere. Coco Chanel was no ordinary entrepreneur. She was an inspiration to women everywhere and helped to break the ideals of a male dominated world. She did not know her place and we are all better for it today. If ever there was a female entrepreneur to look up to then Coco Chanel is it!