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The history of Maison Chanel

Gabrielle Chasnel was born in 1883 in Saumur, into a modest family: her father was a peddler and her mother a seamstress. After their mother's death in 1895, Gabrielle Chasnel and her sister were placed in an orphanage in Corrèze, at the Cistercian abbey of Aubazine. It was there that Gabrielle learned sewing. In 1910, she opened her first hat boutique in Paris, Chanel Mode, located at 21 rue Cambon. She followed this three years later with a second boutique in Deauville.

From the very beginnings of Chanel Mode, women were captivated by the simple and elegant style of Chanel hats. Gabrielle Chanel then ventured into fashion by offering jersey clothing (the ancestor of sportswear!) to her clients. Later, she also introduced tweed into her garments. Her goal: to liberate women's bodies and revolutionize their daily lives with simple, comfortable yet elegant clothing. The first fashion house opened in 1915 in Biarritz, before moving to Paris at 31 rue Cambon.

The woman now known as Coco Chanel did not stop there: in 1921, she launched her first perfume, Chanel N°5; in 1924, her first makeup line; and in 1932, her first jewelry collection.

After World War II, fashion designer Dior and his New Look and corseted silhouettes triumphed in Europe. However, Chanel's creations remained highly popular across the Atlantic, worn by many actresses and personalities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Romy Schneider.

After Coco Chanel's death in 1971, Maison Chanel lost its essence. It was not until Karl Lagerfeld arrived as artistic director of the Maison in 1983 that the brand regained its former success, with about ten collections per year! In 1987, Chanel launched its first watch collection, and in 1993, the Maison ventured into High Jewelry.

High Jewelry collections signed Chanel

In 1932, at the peak of Maison Chanel, Gabrielle Chanel was approached by the Union of Diamond Merchants to promote their diamonds. It was with the diamonds entrusted to her that Coco Chanel created her first High Jewelry collection, "Bijoux de diamants". In fact, it was Maison Chanel that popularized the term "collection" to designate a jewelry line, in the manner of fashion collections. This would be the only jewelry collection created by Coco Chanel. "If I chose the diamond, it is because it represents the greatest value in the smallest volume," Gabrielle Chanel said about this collection.

The 1932 Bijoux de diamants collection remains one of the brand's most iconic, with its multi-level fringe necklace composed of over 35 baguette-cut diamonds and 535 brilliant-cut diamonds; its white gold and diamond bracelet inspired by the 1932 comet, containing alone 26 carats of diamonds; its white gold and diamond ring inspired by a star...

After Gabrielle Chanel's death, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, other High Jewelry collections emerged, such as the Lion Collection (Coco Chanel's astrological sign), with its handmade white gold lion brooch studded with multiple diamonds and its white gold lion ring paved with diamonds, notably the 5.28-carat Marquise diamond.

Like the Lion collection, the Camélia collection pays homage to Coco Chanel: she preferred this sober and simple flower to the opulent rose. In this collection, one finds exceptional pieces such as diamond and pearl earrings or a brooch made of white gold, diamonds, and moonstone.