Coco Chanel

I not too long ago began thinking about the success of my future. The thought of stepping into the big world and starting a career frightened me. What must I do in the design industry in order to be successful? I craved some sense of security, thus, I began to read quotes by famous designer. The one that stood out to me the most was one recited by Coco Chanel, "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer. She was a very important person in design who introduced a modernist philosophy to fashion. How did she get that way?

Coco Chanel was born in Samur , France. As a young child both of her parents died. Thus, she was sent to an orphanage where she spent six years of her life. At the orphanage she learned the skills of a seamstress. In addition, her vacations from the orphanage to her relative’s houses contributed to her skills as a seamstress as well. Her relatives would teach her other skills as a seamstress besides those taught at the orphanage. Later in life when Chanel was an aspiring cabaret singer, she met Etienne Balsan, a textile heir who she began working for at his tailor shop. Through him she met one of his friends Captain Edward Arthur “Boy” Capel who financed one of her first shops.

Of course one would imagine there would be more to her life than just the account given above, but I would like to grab just some important lessons from her successful life. The first is to use the skills you learn as much as you can, just as Chanel did. Second, sometimes the people you know is more beneficial than what you know. Therefore, make connections.