This week, we unravel the myth of Coco Chanel, the woman who revolutionized women’s fashion, built one of the most powerful luxury empires in history, and carefully crafted herself into a feminist icon. But behind the pearls, perfume, and little black dresses was a much darker story.

From poverty and ambition to affairs with powerful men, antisemitism, Nazi collaboration allegations, and the reinvention of her own legacy, we explore how Coco Chanel became both a symbol of female freedom and one of fashion’s most controversial figures.

Was she a visionary? A social climber? A survivor? A villain? Maybe all four.

Grab a cigarette and your tweed blazer, because this one is messy.

Created and produced by Tess Bellomo & Claire Donald

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Sources: Chanel Unbuttoned BBC, Wikipedia

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