Childhood
Chanel's father, Albert Chanel was a market trader and while moving from place to place, found one of his landlord's daughter and they got very close. He had to leave about a year later, but Jeanne Devolle was pregnant with Chanel's sister Julia. Approximately one year later on August 19, 1883, Jeanne gave birth to Gabrielle Chanel. In 1884, Albert and Jeanne finally married with two young girls. Gabrielle's mother died in 1895 due to an asthmatic illness. Since Gabrielle was left with a father with a travelling occupation, she was sent to a convent orphanage run by nuns.
EducationWhen Coco Chanel left the orphanage at age 17, she spent two years at a convent school, which is a religious schooling system that solely teaches the Catholic Religion. There, she learned how to sew. During the summers of her convent education time she spent time with her aunt who had a passion for millinery. That is when Chanel learned to make hats. After this she formed her own opinion on style and how clothing should be worn, creating her own pieces of clothing little by little that soon became the new look.
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