The launch of the first Coco Chanel handbag in 1955 marked the beginning of a fashion revolution. Coco had retired in 1939, and had been written off by most in the industry. Her perfumes could still be bought at Chanel outlets, but she had stopped making any new designs, and had effectively retired from the fashion business. When she made her comeback at the age of 71, and introduced the innovative and hugely popular Coco Chanel handbag, her success was thus all the more remarkable.
The purse that would turn the fashion world on its head was a quilted one, but it was not the material that made it such a unique phenomenon. For the first time in fashion history, a womans handbag now had a chain shoulder strap on it. No longer did a woman have to hold her purse in her hands. Instead, she was free to sling it over her shoulders and use her hands however she pleased. This purse was thus, in a sense, empowering.
Coco Chanels designs were all about simplicity and functionality, but with a classic sense of style. This course was meant to reflect this philosophy. The designer herself never left her house without her own over her shoulder. And, it seemed that soon the rest of the world would agree with her idea. In its first year, this purse became so popular that the designer had to refuse many of the requests for orders that had been made to her. She simply didnt have the time or the staff to make them all. After all, the high quality and fine craftsmanship that she insisted upon for all of her products meant that it was a painstaking process to manufacture each individual one.
Chanel handbag became a status symbol for the second half of the century. The same as her other innovational designs, her famous handbag would be copied many times, and would continue to be the source inspiration for the modern designers.
The Coco Chanel bags of nowadays are still craftsman-made. The Coco Chanel logo on the gilt clasp is a more recent addition to the traditional design.