Coco Chanel moved to Moulins after leaving the Aubazine convent.
After her mother died, Chanel and her sisters were sent to relatives and institutions, and Chanel spent formative years at the Aubazine abbey. She later went to Moulins, where she learned more about sewing and began performing as a café singer.
Moulins was significant because it connected Chanel with people and social circles that helped her enter the world of fashion. Her singing repertoire included songs that contributed to the nickname “Coco,” although the precise origin of that nickname is often discussed in several versions.
Moulins should not be confused with Saumur, her birthplace, or Deauville, where she later opened a clothing boutique. The town represents an important transition between Chanel’s difficult childhood and her early adult work before she became a major Parisian designer.