Coco Chanel first sold hats professionally. She opened her initial millinery business in Paris in 1910, beginning the commercial career that later expanded into clothing, fragrance, and accessories.
Her early hats were known for a simpler, less overloaded appearance than many fashionable hats of the period. Chanel’s designs attracted attention among actresses and fashionable women, helping her establish credibility before she became known for clothing.
She later opened businesses in resort towns including Deauville and Biarritz. These locations exposed her designs to wealthy customers and to women seeking informal clothing suitable for travel, sport, and leisure.
Chanel’s hat business is sometimes overlooked because her later fame rests on couture, perfume, and handbags. It is also easy to confuse her first professional product with Chanel No. 5, which was introduced more than a decade after her first Paris millinery shop.