Parisian Gabrielle "CoCo" Chanel, the founder of the famous fashion brand Chanel, is a French designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashion and pursuit of expensive simplicity made Chanel an important figure in the 20th century fashion. Chanel began an affair with French textile Balsan who showed her "the rich life": diamonds, dresses and pearls; Chanel began designing hats as a hobby, and after discovering her enjoyment of designing, she left Balsan. In 1909, Chanel began a relationship with Balsan's friend Chapel who financed and opened Chanel's first shop and his own clothing line. His jersey blazers inspired the creation of the Chanel look.
In 1924, Chanel made an agreement with the Wertheimer brothers, Pierre and Paul, directors of the eminent perfume house Bourgeois since 1917, creating a corporate entity, "Parfums Chanel." The Wertheimers agreed to provide full financing for production, marketing and distribution of Chanel No. 5.
