Founded as The House of Chanel in 1910 by the French fashion designer and businesswoman Coco Chanel, It is a private luxury fashion brand based in Paris, France. It focuses on women’s high fashion, designing ready-to-wear luxury clothes and accessories. House of Chanel is considered to be among the world’s leading clothing houses, having reached their supremacy in the field of fashion like haute couture, ready to wear or prêt-à-porter, accessories like custom jewelry, bags, make up line and perfumes. Their products derive inspiration from women’s interests in elegant dresses and jewelry. Designers at Chanel try their best to design beautiful and elegant clothes while being comfortable at the same time.
The products from Chanel have been embodied by several well-known artists and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, G-Dragon, Jennie Kim, Marion Cotillard, Lily-Rose Depp, Cara Delavigne, etc. It Revolutionised the fashion industry by designing haute couture or high fashion clothing and clothing collections for everyday use. Their aim has always been to design fashionable and elegant clothes that are functional and simultaneously flattering to a woman’s body.
Founder
The House of Chanel was founded 112 years ago in 1909 by French designer Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel. She opened her first millinery shop on the ground floor of the Paris apartment of socialite and businessman Étienne Balsan at 160 Boulevard Malesherbes. It saw her first buyers for the clothes, hats, and jewelry she had designed in the wives and mistresses of the French socialites she met at Balsan’s flat.
It befriended socialites from various countries, the most prominent of them being British businessman Arthur Capel, who financed Chanel’s first independent store at 21 rue Cambon, Paris, in 1910. This shop was called Chanel Modes. Later It opened a large Chanel store near Hotel Ritz, at 31 rue Cambon, Paris. The large dress shop sold flannel blazers and straight-line linen skirts along with blouses, skirt-jacket suits, and sweaters that were made of jersey fabrics.
Influence of the First World War
In 1914 with the beginning of the first world war, Europe faced a scarcity of fabric and other materials. During these times, It used jersey material to design her clothes, as jersey fabric adapted to her designs well, and it shaped well with a woman’s body. In addition, the military uniforms heavily influenced her designs during this time, and it was these designs that made the house of Chanel stand out in the whole of France and later in the World.
Iconic Products
The House of Chanel, throughout the years, has launched several new designs and products. However, some of these products stand out from the rest, being the most popular among the public. These products are iconic and so much so that they are still the most desired products in the world of fashion. They have been the source of inspiration to not only the product line of Chanel but also of other luxury fashion houses.
- Chanel Suit
Coco Chanel, who was known for mixing both masculine and feminine elements in her designs, in 1925 at a show in her store in Paris, came up with designing a suit for women consisting of elements like jackets and skirts. She believed men’s clothing to be more comfortable and, in her mission to free women from the restricting corsets, designed what today is popularly known as the Chanel Suit. The Suit comprises jackets and straight-line skirts. Her inspiration for the design being the clothes that her then-boyfriend, Duke of Westminster. Chanel suits were worn by several notable personalities like Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana. The house has often redesigned and re-launched the famous Chanel suit on several occasions; however, it never lost its original essence.
- Chanel No. 5
Designed by Coco Chanel herself, this is one of the most popular perfumes in the world. Chanel commissioned Ernest Beaux, a famous French perfumer, to create a fragrance for her clothing house. Originally a gift to the clients of Chanel, No.5 was put for retail by the house in 1922.
- Chanel Classic Handbag
Designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the House of Chanel, the classic Chanel handbag is among the most sought out products by the fashion house. It was popular among celebrities from Hollywood as well as the royals. The Queen Fabiola of Belgium, on several occasions, was seen sporting the classical Chanel Handbag that was one of her favorite accessories.
Owners
The house of Chanel is owned by the grandsons of the earliest business partner of Coco Chanel, Pierre Wertheimer. Pierre Wertheimer, a Jewish businessman, helped Coco Chanel to expand business in perfumes after the extraordinary success of No. 5 by extending their markets outside France to the US and other countries as ‘Parfums Chanel.’ Wertheimer and Gabrielle Chanel co-founded the house of Chanel as it is known today as Chanel. Alain and Gérard Wertheimer are the co-owners of the house of Chanel. They have accomplished great achievements to strengthen Chanel’s hold in the world of fashion as one of the world’s biggest and most popular fashion houses. For example, Alain Wertheimer secured Karl Lagerfeld, the chief designer of Chanel, by urging him to cancel his contract with the clothing brand Chloe.
Jobs
Chanel provides job seekers in fashion a world of opportunities to help them discover themselves and grow. The values of the House of Chanel are simple as can be. The house stands for creating a healthy and free environment for their employees to work to the best of their abilities and nurture and explore their creative ideas. It offers a distinctive work environment where the employees are encouraged to understand and explore the brand and its business and the employees themselves so that they can unlock their imagination and grow along with the brand.
It offers a large variety of jobs that job seekers can be interested in applying for. These include several categories such as sales, communication, IT, Finance, Customer services, Design, Human Resources, etc. Besides these job categories, It offers the employees permanent jobs, Apprenticeships, Internships, and Fixed-term jobs. Chanel, as of 2018, has about 20,000 employees in its more than 300 locations worldwide.
Chanel USA
Chanel has its US headquarters in New York City. The brand offers job opportunities in over 100 stores in the country. The operation hours at Chanel stores are 9 AM to 9 PM from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, the stores open from 10 in the morning to 8 in the evening. The Sunday work hours at Chanel are 12 PM to 6 PM.
The available jobs at the House of Chanel can be looked up at their careers page on their official website. In addition, It provides jobs in the following categories.
- Sales Associate
- Assistant Manager
- Retail Operations Manager
- Loss Prevention Manager
- Make-up Artists
- Fragrance Experts
As a leader in the luxury fashion industry, It has similar expectations and standards while considering new employees. The prospective employees must meet the hiring manager’s expectations to be considered suited for the job. Experience and educational background in the field of fashion are plus points for employment consideration.
It only considers applicants 18 and above for employment. This is because the sales and supply positions are easiest to acquire at Chanel stores. Other job positions are:
- Fashion Advisor:
The responsibility of the fashion advisor is to promote and sell the brand’s products. The employees at this position must have complete knowledge of the brand and its products while also being quick to understand the clients’ tastes and likings. Fashion advisors are supposed to dress professionally by the brand’s standards and must be polite to the customers. The applicants for this position must have at least 3 years of experience and must be able to lift about 20 pounds. Fashion advisors at Chanel earn more than 20 $ an hour.
- Inventory Supervisors:
These employees make about 11$ to 15 $ an hour. The applicants must have basic computer skills and must at least possess high school diplomas. Along with this, the applicants are also expected to have at least 2 years of prior experience.
- Assistant Boutique Managers:
The job requires applicants to have at least three years of prior experience in the fashion industry. In addition, the applicants must be hospitable and kind. Their job description includes taking care of the store’s aesthetics, tidying and rearranging displays, and having excellent communication skills.
How to Apply
The application process depends on the availability of jobs. To verify if the jobs are available, the applicant can check the fashion house’s official website.
- The website’s career page displays the available job positions and the locations they are available at.
- Click ‘Apply Now’ to apply for the job that one is interested in.
- An online job application form would open up. A link will be provided to the applicants to easily upload their resumes linked to apps like LinkedIn etc.
- Answer the necessary personal information details and the questions about previous employment and qualifications.
- Once the application form is filled, review the form and then click ‘submit’ to register the application.
Benefits and Perks
Employees enjoy working in a comfortable working environment along with several other benefits like,
- Flexible work hours
- Mentoring and guidance workshop
- Discounts on merchandise
- Health benefits like insurance
- Paid time off
- 401k retirement plans
Working for a house as prestigious as Chanel is an opportunity of a lifetime. To land this job, the applicants must be keen to gather all information regarding the post they are applying for and the House of Chanel. It is always looking for creative and hardworking individuals with imagination and style.
FAQs
- How many hours weekly do a Chanel employee work?
The employees work for 40 to 45 hours a week. - How long is the total hiring process at Chanel?
The hiring proces is usually a week long. The process involves two interviews, one with the store manager and the next with the account executive. The brand confirms the hiring status in two to three days of the interview via email. - What are some commonly asked questions at Chanel interviews?
Some frequently asked questions at interviews are:
- In what ways can you contribute to the success of your team?
- Will you be able to work at weekends if required?
- How would you acquire clientele for the brand?
- What is Chanel’s vacation policy like?
Employees get a vacation period of 15 days per year. - What is the dress code at Chanel?
The dress code includes black formal wear consisting of suits, dresses or skirts. The uniform is usually provided by the brand.
