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GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com | 71 Continued page 72 Our debt to Coco far exceeds the price of a Chanel hand-bag or a sleek, streamlined couture suit. Chanel encouraged all women to assert themselves and their individuality through fashion. is one woman transformed fashion into something that it had never been - an expression of personal style and taste for any woman. e name "Coco Chanel " is synonymous with style, class, fashion, and sophistication. It is a name that has led the fashion industr y for decades, shaped the world of haute couture, and paved the way for countless female entrepreneurs and businesswomen with her business sense, inspiration and determination. Yet, for all of those familiar with Coco Chanel as a fashion and beauty brand, few k now her as a person, a woman as intriguing as the name itself. Coco Chanel – dynamic, spontaneous, and always larger than life – was a fountain of drive and ambition, who used her energ y to fight against the constraints of what was deemed appropriate for women at the time. Chanel 's achievements become even more impressive when viewed alongside her humble beginnings. Born in 1883 to an unmarried laundr y woman and a traveling vendor, Coco – then k nown as Gabrielle grew up in a crowded, one-room lodge with her four siblings. When Chanel was 12, her mother died of tuberculosis. A er her mother's death, Chanel 's father sent her and her sisters to a convent. e environment was cold and austere. At 18, Chanel was sent to a nearby Catholic school. e days were long and the work was strenuous, but the time spent alone allowed Chanel to learn a sk ill that would lay the seeds of her future fashion empire: sewing. Chanel used her sewing sk ills to work as a seamstress while she moonlighted as a cabaret singer. Her life was spent passing through boarding houses and performing in scandalous cabarets. A round this time, she adopted the name "Coco," which was the name of a lost dog she sang in one of her numerous cabaret performances. Many speculations have been made about Chanel 's personal life, particularly her love affairs. Her penchant for romance provoked the imaginations of the public. At age 23, Chanel met Etienne Balsan, an ex-cavalr y officer and heir to a substantial fortune who would become her lover, a lifelong admirer and loyal supporter. He invited her to live with him in his chateau, where they enjoyed fast life of luxur y: horseback riding , hunting trips, and decadent parties. Etienne doted on Chanel and encouraged her blossoming love of fashion as she took up hat design as a hobby. In 1908, Chanel began a torrid affair with Balsan's good friend, Captain A rthur Edward "Boy" Capel, a wealthy, upperclass Englishman who financed Chanel 's apartment, and later her foray into the fashion industr y. Capel is rumored to have strongly influenced Chanel 's fashion sense and the bole design for Chanel No. 5 (it is said to have been inspired by a whiskey decanter he carried). Chanel 's hope to sele down with Capel never came to fruition: his business travels carried him into the arms of other women. A lthough he was never faithful to Chanel, they continued as lovers. Chanel soon returned to Etienne Balsan, who had begged her to return. A er extensive discussions about which man should pay what (and how much)

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