Coco was the nickname Coco Chanel used during her early café singing career.
Before becoming a major designer, Gabrielle Chanel performed in cafés and concert venues. She was not regarded as a leading professional singer, but the performances helped introduce the nickname that later became inseparable from her fashion identity.
Biographical accounts commonly connect “Coco” with songs associated with her performances, especially “Qui qu’a vu Coco?” and “Ko Ko Ri Ko.” The precise origin is sometimes presented differently, so the safest established fact is that the nickname came from this early performance period.
She later built her public and business identity around Coco Chanel. The name is therefore not a separate legal identity or a fashion-house founder’s title.