The Origin and Evolution of the Chanel Logo

How did the Chanel brand come about?

A few words about the founder and history of the famous French company

The Chanel brand was born thanks to Gabrielle Chanel in the 1910s with the opening of her first boutique in Paris. She mainly made hats. She then managed to grow her business in Deauville by selling skirts and jackets. But what made her different from her competitors? Well, she seeked to make simple and comfortable clothes for all women, but also that they "free themselves" from the ideal female body type of the time. Coco Chanel won the bet, her clothes sold, and she opened another boutique next to the Place Vendôme. The place where the most famous luxury homes were located. Today, Coco Chanel is certainly known for clothes and perfumes, especially the famous Chanel No 5.

But by the way, how did we go from Gabrielle Chanel to Coco Chanel? Coco Chanel loved to sing and decided to perform in different cafes. The song she performed was called "Who has seen Coco in the Trocadero?". That’s when she started being called "Coco." Even though, one of her shops was called "Gabrielle Chanel", she decided to change the name since everyone called her "Coco".

The first (and last) logo of the House of Chanel

What does the Chanel logo represent? Who created the symbol and when?

As the title suggests, Chanel is one of the brands that has stood the test of time with only one logo. However, like many fashion houses, the iconic Chanel logo has several element variations depending on the products. It also has become one of the most known logos in the world with time.

Chanel's main emblem and original design is a monogram logo. It made its official appearance in the 1920s. At first glance, we see two "Cs" of which one is a reflection of the other. These two "Cs" are then embedded in each other. The two "Cs" are identical in size, color and font. For the font, it is simply a traditional sans-serif capital "C". For color, Coco Chanel brought black back to life. At the time this color represented unfortunate events, but Coco Chanel knew how to transform it into an elegant, simple, professional color. It is also said that it was her favorite color.

When this logo is used as a symbol logo, the two "Cs" are sometimes in a black circle. The circle often represents eternity and femininity.

But why choose the two "Cs" as a symbol? Logically, we often think that the two "Cs" come from the name of the designer: Coco Chanel. There are actually several theories regarding the creation of this symbol:

Some people think that the two "Cs" certainly represent Coco Chanel, but also her English lover at the time: Arthur Capel. It was Capel who gave Coco her first store in Paris.

There is also the fact that it is not two "Cs", but two horseshoes that crisscross. The horseshoe represents luck, fortune, and happiness.

These two "Cs" are also found on stained glass windows of the Château Crémât in Nice, which she visited during her youth.

Finally, another version of the story indicates that she was directly inspired by the geometric shapes of the stained-glass windows of the monastery in Aubazine, where she grew up.

Of course, we will never know the true story behind this symbol.

The Chanel emblem is sometimes used as a wordmark logo. On products, such as perfumes, we only see the name of the company: Chanel. Chanel's handwriting remains very simple and straight. Chanel is written in black sans-serif capital letters. The font was inspired by the writing of Coco Chanel.

Finally, the Chanel logo can also be used as a combination mark logo, with the symbol and the brand name. There are no different characteristics from the other two variations. We simply see the symbol with the name of the brand underneath.

How to be inspired by the Chanel emblem to create your own logo?

As we said, Chanel has kept their logo and emblem as is over time. But why? The logo design is very simple if we say that it represents her name and surname. People like a logo to be simple so that they can remember it. The solid black color also helps to make this logo timeless. Just like the little black dress, this color goes well with everything. If it is for a special event or type of product and you want to change the color to red, well you can do it without racking your head.

 We must also say that luxury brands and famous fashion houses rarely change their logo, because it often represents their name and surname. In addition, they also want their brand to represent a sense of immortality. When Coco Chanel died, Karl Lagerfeld took over the company's artistic direction. He could have changed the logo at that time, except we do not touch the logo of a luxury brand such as Coco Chanel. There's a good chance the logo will stay that way for life.

Now you know everything you need to know about the Chanel logo. You don't always have to look far for logo ideas. Keep it simple, take the initials of your first and last name. While waiting for other luxurious logo meanings, why not discover the meaning of Playboy's unique logo?