August 19 marks Gabrielle Chanel‘s birthday, and to celebrate, Chanel is releasing the 21st part of its ongoing series about the bold fashion house creator. Entitled “The Pursuit of Passion,” this latest chapter is accompanied by a film.
A woman driven by her passion, which she once even compared to a volcano, forged her own path by a constant need to create, daring to break the rules, and seizing the spirit of the times. At times romantic, poetic, and passionate, Gabrielle looked for beauty in all places. She changed the definition of fashion, getting women to wear black, integrating men’s cuts into the feminine wardrobe, elevating costume jewelry, and creating the first scent truly for women.
She also counted artists among her friends—inspirations like Diaghilev, Picasso, Cocteau, and Dali. “It was the artists who taught me rigor,” she said. And it is passion we can all learn from Gabrielle.