When Time magazine published its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, Chanel was only the person in the fashion industry to be named. With that, her influence on not only her own field, but on the world as a whole, became obvious. When I can no longer create anything, Ill be done for, Chanel once said. She was a dedicated workaholic who devoted herself completely to her work until the day she died at the age of 88. What were Chanels success factors?
She Was Different: From her style to her personality to her marketing, everything about Chanel was unique. She brought a new vision of womens fashion to the industry and, with its boyish qualities, simplicity and clean lines, she revolutionized the field. She brought fashion down to a practical level, all the while maintaining a sense of class and elegance that appealed to the elitest of women.
She Was Daring: She fashioned elegant womens dresses out of the same material that was used to create mens underwear, and at a time when women werent even supposed to be thinking about mens underwear. She cut her hair and wore loose clothing when society told her she should have long, flowing hair and tight corsets around her body. Chanel was willing to take the risks she needed to in order to reach the top.
She Was Inspired: Chanel once attended a masquerade ball dressed as a figure from a Watteau painting. The compliments she received from her outfit prompted her to turn it into a womans suit. Everything from paintings to mens clothing to architectural shapes to simple flowers served as inspiration for Chanel and wound up in some form or another in her creations. By looking to the ordinary in order to get ideas, Chanel was able to create the extraordinary.
She Communicated Success: For Chanel, beauty was not just about looking good. It was about presenting oneself in a way that garnered respect from the outside world and allowed one to move forward with ones own goals. By taking care of your appearance, Chanel believed that you would be able to present yourself as a powerful and successful person, even if you werent there quite yet.
She Was Resilient: Elegance is refusal, Chanel said refusal to give up. Chanel never lost faith in herself. Despite having to overcome her age and her ruined reputation, she was able to make a comeback in the industry at the age of 71. She reinvented her designs and gave them a fresh spin, which helped make her company a leader once again.
May my legend prosper and thrive, said Chanel. I wish it a long and happy life. Indeed, her company continues to thrive. By refusing to license out the Chanel name, the company has maintained strict quality control over its products, allowing it to stay at the top of its game in all the decades since Chanels death. Today, Chanels overlapping double C logo continues to represent an image of chic and elegance around the world.