Coco Chanel
A child-friendly introduction to Coco Chanel’s life, exploring how her practical ideas and distinctive designs helped reshape twentieth-century fashion.
Meet Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, a designer who helped popularise simpler shapes, practical fabrics and a new kind of modern fashion.
Born in France in 1883, Chanel learned to sew as a child and later built a fashion business around hats, clothing and perfume. She became especially associated with jersey sportswear, simple suits and the “little black dress”, although fashion change is never the work of one person alone.
Begin with two accessible introductions to Chanel’s childhood, fashion work and influence.
A child-friendly introduction to Coco Chanel’s life, exploring how her practical ideas and distinctive designs helped reshape twentieth-century fashion.
An animated biography tracing Coco Chanel’s journey from a difficult childhood to becoming an influential designer who challenged traditional fashion.
This funny video shows how women before Coco brought her new designs out dressed.
Enjoy books and stories about Coco Chanel’s life, childhood and creativity.
A short illustrated biography following Gabrielle Chanel from a difficult childhood to work as a designer.
Eva Byrne’s picture-book biography introduces Chanel’s childhood, imagination and determination.
A colourful video-book tour of Paris that introduces children to the city’s famous landmarks, culture and everyday life.
Look closely at how a designer balances purpose, comfort, materials and self-expression.
A practical introduction to fashion design, including how designers develop an idea and create a fashion sketch.
Sketch an outfit for a real activity—climbing, dancing, travelling or creating. Choose fabric, shape, fastenings and pockets, then explain how each decision helps the wearer.
See how much you have learnt about the life of Coco!
Follow fashion into fabric technology, changing social expectations, advertising, wartime history and ethical questions about creators.
Who made fashionable clothes? How did jersey move from underwear to outerwear? Why did pockets matter? How do brands shape desire? And how should we remember influential people who also made harmful choices?
How can changing the design of clothing change what people feel able to do?
Subscribe for more wonder-filled resources, lesson ideas and gentle prompts to help your family explore art, history, creativity and the wider world together.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
