Coco Chanel Interview
Coco Chanel Interview
Coco Chanel Interview
A: Well growing up in the orphanage and having the nuns who raised me, sewing gave
me an interest in learining to sew. They eventually taught me basic sewing skills when I
was old enough to comprehend the method. I really developed my eye of designing in
my early years, when I was being introduced to many popular costumers. It really
opened my eyes to how complex it all is. How one little detail can make or break the
entire outfit.
Q: What roles did mentors play in helping you develope the interests in your feild of
work?
A: My mentors were as I said before the nuns, they really taught me as much as they
could. Just that little bit of knowledge gave me a higher chance in becoming who I am
now, when I first started. Shop owners are more likely to make someone with basic
sewing skills an employee, rather then someone who has no idea how to even thread a
needle. Working in the shops really gave me some good advantages, it allowed me to
learn more and see how a shop worked before I started my own. Meeting all of the
people that had already become extremely successfull in the industry also showed me
how hard they had to work to get to where they were, it scared me at first. I thought I
would have a rather hard time becoming popular, but luckly I had it pretty easy.
Q: What was the world of art in your art feild like when you entered?
A: Well growing up and living in France, was a very big deal. Fashion and costume are a
very large deal in France, you have to stay on top of the popular fashions. I opened my
first shop in 1910, so that was when I really entered the world of fashion. I was on my
own, I had a little shop in France selling hats. At that time fashion was very popular and
little shops like mine were either busy all the time or pretty much dead all the time. As I
said before knowing the people I knew at that time also brought alot of attention to my
store, because they would refer me to people, which brought me more and more
custumers. I guess you could say I was rather lucky to be so successful when I first
started.
Q: How did the major cultural, economic and political situation of the time impact your
work?
A: The economic crissis in France from the war forced me and alot of other shops to
close down completely for many years. There was just not enough money for anyone to
begin with, and with no paying people to buy things, there was no money for me to
invest into making new creations. I however took a break with my work and served as a
nurse in World War one. I got myself in some trouble after that, and was accused of
having an affair with a Nazi officer, which made my return in the fashion industry rather
difficult. Everyone assumed I was a cruel person, because I was associated with a Nazi. I
assure you I am not a horrible person, the whole war was a mess. I did eventually make
my recovery though. I came back with a strong new look for women, and I made my
name big.
Q: What were your major accomplishments and the method you used in your
art?
Q: What were the key oppurtunities you had that lead to turning points in
your life in your art?
A: I made the decison to give up my singing career, I didn't feel like that is
where I belonged. Although I had many people who loved my voice and
wanted me to try to become a huge success in it, I chose to go for something
totally different, something I knew deep down was what I wanted. I made a
choice to risk pretty much everything I had at that time, to jump for the stars
and live my dream. I knew that I would have to go through alot and work
really hard to make it to the top. When the war began I had to shut down the
shop, I knew it wasn't going to workout with such a horrible ecconomic
crissis. That was hard for me to do, I was unsure of what the future had
instore for me, without my bussiness to run, I had no clue what I was going
to do.
Q: What kind of limitations did you run into as both an artist and a person?
A: The limitations I ran into as a person in the begging, was that I had very
little family. The only blood relatives I was familiar with were my siblings,
which I am very greatful for. I didn't have my mother with me, nor my father.
That was kind of a struggle for me, I wanted someone to be there to support
me in my efforts on becoming a designer. In the end I believe that
disadvantage made me a stronger person, and made me learn to do things
on my own. As an artist when the war began my career looked like it was
over, as I said before. After the war the crimes I was convicted of brought my
popularity down to a very low percentage. I already had to deal with the
economic problem, but now I also had the problem of not having anyone
wanting what I had to offer. It was hard to recover from that.