The textile manufacturer that supplied jersey to Coco Chanel in the 1910s was Rodier.
In 1916, Chanel bought surplus machine-knitted jersey from Rodier, a French textile firm associated with knitted fabrics. Jersey was inexpensive, flexible, and commonly used for men’s underwear and sportswear—not for fashionable women’s clothing. Chanel saw that its softness and stretch suited the practical, relaxed silhouettes she was developing during the First World War.
She transformed the humble material into loose dresses, coats, skirts, and sportswear, helping make comfort and movement central to modern women’s fashion. The fabric also allowed her to work quickly when wartime shortages made luxurious materials harder to obtain. Her jersey designs became an early signature of the Chanel style.
A common mix-up is to credit Chanel with inventing jersey itself. She did not manufacture the textile; her innovation was using an ordinary knitted fabric in high fashion. Rodier supplied the material, while Chanel redefined how it could be cut, worn, and marketed.