This part of the story begins in a small restaurant. It was 1921 and Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (who we will call by her nickname Coco from now on) had reached her 38 with vision and passion. Coco never defined herself as a seamstress, she said of herself that she did not know how to sew at all but still wanted to create fashion.

«She was not a dressmaker, but a fashion designer: “First of all, I don’t draw,” she repeated: “I have never designed a dress. I only use my pencil to color my eyes and write letters. I sculpt the model, rather than draw it. I take the fabric and cut it. Then I pin it to a mannequin and, if it fits, someone sews it. If it doesn’t fit, I unstitch it and then cut it out. If it still doesn’t fit, I throw it away and start over… To be honest, I don’t even know how to sew.»

(Sofia Gnoli, A Century of Italian Fashion, 1900-2000, 2005, p.35)

Fashion is the key word. A word full of meaning because it indicates a journey, a path full of obstacles, wins and losses. A path that passes through sentimental turbulence, hasty decisions and a Great War that Monicelli managed to photograph very well in the homonymous film of '59, together with all the school books that we know and that Coco had the opportunity to experience first hand. Women were slowly becoming the workforce in a country impoverished by men, they acquired a completely new status, they were activists, they began to emancipate themselves, why not even in clothing.

Thanks to Coco, the whalebones disappear and pants arrive. Never seen anything like it.

But let's go back to 1921 and that restaurant. The war is over and a burst of life is in the air of spring. Coco decides to invite Ernest Beaux, the famous perfumer, to lunch, to whom she has commissioned the creation of a fragrance. Mademoiselle places the bottle of sample N°5 on the table, sprays a little of the contents into the air and waits, curious. At a certain point, the unexpected: a small group of ladies, intrigued by that perfume so different, so unusual, approaches, intrigued. A complex mix of Grasse jasmine, May roses and dozens and dozens of other scents enhanced by what was the most daring novelty of the moment: aldehydes. Until then, women smelled of roses, violets, very natural scents and labeled as "suitable" for a female audience. Coco, who knew a lot about labels, as a good revolutionary wanted "a perfume for women that smells like a woman" and she was right: aldehydes, synthetic molecules that almost no one before that moment had used in perfumery, become the perfume for women that smells like a woman, for women.

Within a few weeks, the boutique at 31 Rue Cambon became the center of the female universe of the time. Endless lines of ladies knocked on Coco's door to buy some precious bottles that were literally produced with an eyedropper. 100 copies per month and see you next time.

A century has passed since that day but the same fragrance, Chianel N°5, continues to be one of the most famous and purchased perfumes in the world.

Why did we want to tell you this story? Because Coco came from a poor, very poor family. She didn't know how to sew and we imagine she was not very suited to domestic life, but that didn't stop her. Not even the War stopped her, to tell the truth not even 2 Wars stopped her. No lover, love, man, stopped her. She had a vision, she wanted to carry it forward and damn if she succeeded! Of course she didn't always make the right decisions, it wasn't always just her intuition that guided her and let's face it she didn't face the most prosperous period for women and more generally for humanity, but we hope that her determination will be an inspiration for everyone: dreaming is free, working to achieve those dreams is tiring, difficult and arduous but when you realize it... Who can stop you anymore?

And that's what we hope for, that no one can stop you!