BIOGRAPHY AND PERSONALITY OF A FAMOUS LEO: COCO CHANEL

Fashion designer. Born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. From humble beginnings, Coco Chanel rose to become one of the world’s leading fashion designers, creating styles that are still in vogue today. She grew up poor and was educated in a convent.

Opening her first shop in Paris in 1913, Coco Chanel sold hats and a few items of clothing. Her business grew over the years and she became known for her revolutionary styles, often borrowing and adapting from menswear to make modern clothes for women. Chanel is especially famous for her collarless suits and is credited with the creation of the little black dress and such accessories as the two-toned shoe. She retreated from fashion for a time—from 1938 to 1953—but made a glorious return with updated versions of her classic styles and accessories.

Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971. A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her company to continue the Chanel legacy. Today her namesake company continues to thrive. Although it is privately held, it is believed to generate hundreds of millions in sales each year.