Fashion elegance at its best: Brand Touchpoints by CHANEL

Gabrielle “Coco“ CHANEL founded her fashion empire in 1909. Her fashionable intention was to liberate women of her time physically, psychologically and socially. With her fashion she revolutionized the ideal of female appearance. Since then CHANEL developed to become one of the most valuable luxury brands in the world. With an estimated brand value of 20 billion dollars the Parisian fashion house even occupies second place. The elegance and dominance of the brand is presented in the following touchpoints.

1. CHANEL fashion shows¹

CHANEL is known for its extravagant fashion shows and has produced some of the most transformative, sensorial experiences ever when it comes to fashion shows. The shows combine modernity with traditional craftsmanship. The high expenditure becomes visible for example at the Haute Couture show of the fall/winter collection in 2017/2018. This show is one of CHANEL’S most spectacular fashion shows. The gigantic backdrop even made the voluminous skirts in the art nouveau style look tiny. For his CHANEL fashion show, Lagerfeld had set up an almost 40-metre high replica of the Eifel Tower, which is a symbol of avant-garde modernism and a source of inspiration for many artists.

2. CHANEL N°5²

“A woman who does not wear perfume has no future.” According to Coco CHANEL, perfume is a basic and distinctive fashion accessory. The fragrance is emotion and magic that enliven everyday life and leave indelible memories. CHANEL N°5 was launched in 1921 and revolutionized the concept of perfume. Until today it is one of the most famous and popular fragrances for women. Even Marilyn Monroe wore nothing else.

3. Iconic Karl Lagerfeld³

Karl Otto Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer, photographer and costume designer. He began his career in the French fashion world in the mid 1950s in Paris. Since 1983 he was creative director and chief designer of the fashion house CHANEL. He revived the brand of CHANEL, turning it into an international company by implementing the ideas of Coco Chanel in a contemporary way. Because of his creative work for over 60 years Lagerfeld was called “Kaiser Karl”. His personal trademarks included a white powdered braid, a high standing patricide and dark sunglasses.

4. The CHANEL boutiques⁴

CHANEL fashion is only sold through its own boutiques and few selected department stores, which usually have a CHANEL shop-in-shop. In 2013 there were around 300 CHANEL boutiques worldwide. The shop concept includes bright rooms, which combine classic details with glamorous accents. The interior of high black elements in front of white painted walls embodies the elegance and simplicity of pure colours. Baroque architecture and Viennese artistic sense were the inspiration for the golden arch, which represents the transition to the experimental part of the boutique.

5. The 2.55 Classic Flap Bag⁵

In 1955 Coco CHANEL designed the 2.55 Classic Flap Bag, which was inspired by the military bags of the time. The bag owes its name to its year of publication, February 1955. The 2.55 with its characteristic diamond-shaped quilted look and the gold or silver-coloured chain with a leather cord as shoulder strap is considered a symbol of elegance and a fashion icon among bags. Originally the CHANEL 2.55 was only available in black and brown. In the 1980s Karl Lagerfeld reworked the design of the bag, created the new CC closure and gave it the name of the Classic Flap Bag. Many new variations of the bag were introduced to the market through him – about 30 different types per year.