Gabrielle CHANEL

Also, as if to pay tribute to her, the house of Chanel decided to create a brand new perfume named Gabrielle. This juice draws inspiration from her character and her youth, even before she became known by the nickname Coco. Gabrielle opens a new chapter in Chanel's history. Everything about it is absolutely unprecedented, whether its fragrance, its bottle or its source of inspiration.

Chanel reinterprets the shape of its iconic bottle for Gabrielle

The presentation of the new Gabrielle perfume begins with the discovery of its sumptuous bottle. This is a brand new design that took five years to develop. It was created by designer Sylvie Legastelois, the house of Chanel's dedicated bottle designer. Gabrielle comes in a square-shaped bottle, made of fine glass that reflects light. This material reveals a golden juice that is very luminous and radiant, in perfect harmony with the fragrance it contains. This new bottle is said to have actually been inspired by a box given to Gabrielle Chanel by the Duke of Westminster. Its metallic look, meanwhile, comes from Chanel's Haute Couture department.

Gabrielle's floral and abstract scent

In terms of scent, Gabrielle is composed of a floral and abstract fragrance, sun-kissed and airy. It rests on a white flowers accord and is signed by Chanel's talented in-house nose: Olivier Polge. At the helm of Chanel's olfactory creations since 2015, he imagined here a highly feminine and personal fragrance. Gabrielle opens with a fresh, fruity burst. Mandarin gives it a candied, tangy character. Grapefruit, meanwhile, reinforces its bitterness. Redcurrant lends it a more invigorating aura. Then, Gabrielle's heart evolves toward greater femininity and romanticism. It is composed of tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmine and orange blossom. Finally, the whole is wrapped in a warmer, waxy and sensual base releasing a breath of sandalwood and musk. Olivier Polge explained his inspiration in these terms: he chose these ingredients because they are part of the house's vocabulary. He believes these ingredients must express something true and that they match Gabrielle Chanel's personality. […] When he created this perfume, he says, he did not know how it would be received and used by customers. He likes to think they will make something very personal out of it.

Kristen Stewart as the face of the Gabrielle Chanel campaign

From then on, all that was missing was a face of the campaign to embody the role of Gabrielle Chanel on screen. Once again, Chanel chose actress Kristen Stewart. An ambassador for the brand for several years, this exceptional actress was immortalized by French photographer Karim Sadli. The advertising clip for Gabrielle, meanwhile, is the work of British director Ringan Ledwidge.

France is renowned worldwide for its exceptional heritage in perfumery. Indeed, even though other countries are now very present in the olfactory sector, France remains one of the favored places of this industry. Moreover, it is not without reason that Grasse, a Provençal town located not far from Nice, has been considered the world capital of perfume since the sixteenth century. Nevertheless, French perfumery would be nothing without certain great names who have marked our history. Among them, Gabrielle Chanel is without question one of the most renowned creators of our country.

The story of Gabrielle Chanel

Considering the scope of Gabrielle Chanel's work, one might almost instinctively wonder where such imagination came from. In reality, however, she had a rather difficult childhood. Born in Saumur in 1883, Gabrielle Chanel was orphaned at the age of 12. It was in fact at her orphanage that she learned to sew. She began her career as a fashion designer in 1903. At the same time, also drawn to the stage, she regularly sang in bars during this period. This is in fact where her nickname “Coco” comes from. It was ultimately thanks to her great love, Boy Capel, that Gabrielle Chanel expanded her renown. The designer ventured into hat-making and opened her own milliner's shop in Paris. Immediately meeting with great success, she soon opened other boutiques. Her simple and sophisticated style quickly became very popular. This then allowed her to expand her business. It was in this way that Gabrielle Chanel launched into perfume-making, starting in 1921.

The mark left by Coco Chanel

The least one can say is that Gabrielle Chanel left her mark on the history of fashion as well as that of perfumery. Her boldness allowed her to greatly contribute to women's emancipation. Thus, Coco Chanel did not hesitate to shorten skirts, to dare a boyish look and to introduce black into the feminine wardrobe, a color previously reserved entirely for mourning. Likewise, the designer's venture into perfumery began at full speed. Indeed, her first creation is none other than the iconic Chanel N°5. Nevertheless, we owe her many other perfumes such as N°22, Cuir de Russie, Gardénia, Bois des Îles and N°19. Having worked tirelessly throughout her life, the designer ultimately passed away in January 1971, at the age of 87. Nevertheless, even though she is no longer among us today, she still holds a prominent place within Chanel's ateliers and seems to have forever marked the history of this house. Moreover, one only has to look at the number of current creations bearing the designer's name to realize her timeless aura.