Coco Chanel opened a couture house in Biarritz in 1915.
Biarritz, on France’s Atlantic coast, was an affluent resort with strong connections to Spanish and international society. Chanel’s establishment there expanded her business beyond hats and informal resort clothing and helped demonstrate that her simpler designs could support a full fashion house.
Her Biarritz operation belonged to the early growth of Chanel’s label. It followed the 1913 boutique in Deauville and preceded the major Paris couture address on Rue Cambon. These locations are often mixed up because all three played important roles in Chanel’s rise.