Coco Chanel

Gabrielle "Coco" Bonheur Chanel was a French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She was the only fashion designer to be named on Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century. Along with Paul Poiret, Chanel is credited with liberating women from the constraints of the corseted silhouette and popularizing the acceptance of a sportive, casual chic as the feminine standard in the post-World War I era. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel’s influence extended beyond couture clothing; her design aesthetic was realized in jewelry, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5 became an iconic product, one irrevocably identified with The House of Chanel.