Gaia
18th August 2011, 23:46
Coco Chanel was a Nazi agent during World War II... Her entry on Wikipedia, which has citations, indicates that even if she weren't an agent she sure was distasteful :
World War II, specifically the Nazi seizure of all Jewish owned property and business enterprises provided Chanel with the opportunity to gain the full monetary fortune generated by "Parfums Chanel" and its most profitable product, Chanel No. 5. The directors of "Parfums Chanel," the Wertheimers, were Jewish, and Chanel used her position as an “Aryan” To petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership. On 5 May 1941, she wrote to the governement administrator charged with ruling on the disposition of Jewish financial assets. Her grounds for proprietary ownership were based on the claim that parfums Chanel is still the property of Jews… And had been legally abandoned by the owners.Coco Chanel. Not only was she a collaborationist in the War, she was a notorious union buster and treated her employees dreadfully. She pioneered the use of ultra-skinny models, and deliberately designed her clothes extra double small even today, Chanel is known for being a size smaller than other high fashion houses. The current company isn't really responsible for what a horrid person its founder was.
I think it's creepy how film bios of her gloss over it and present her as a hero.
Gaia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-17/fashion-house-rejects-chanel-nazi-claim/2843006
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6027932.ece
World War II, specifically the Nazi seizure of all Jewish owned property and business enterprises provided Chanel with the opportunity to gain the full monetary fortune generated by "Parfums Chanel" and its most profitable product, Chanel No. 5. The directors of "Parfums Chanel," the Wertheimers, were Jewish, and Chanel used her position as an “Aryan” To petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership. On 5 May 1941, she wrote to the governement administrator charged with ruling on the disposition of Jewish financial assets. Her grounds for proprietary ownership were based on the claim that parfums Chanel is still the property of Jews… And had been legally abandoned by the owners.Coco Chanel. Not only was she a collaborationist in the War, she was a notorious union buster and treated her employees dreadfully. She pioneered the use of ultra-skinny models, and deliberately designed her clothes extra double small even today, Chanel is known for being a size smaller than other high fashion houses. The current company isn't really responsible for what a horrid person its founder was.
I think it's creepy how film bios of her gloss over it and present her as a hero.
Gaia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-17/fashion-house-rejects-chanel-nazi-claim/2843006
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6027932.ece