As one of the most talked-about figures, Coco Chanel has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What Was Coco Chanel's Net Worth?

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When Coco was 18, she went to live in a boarding house for Catholic girls in the town of Moulins. As she got older, Chanel would retell the story of her childhood differently, often making it more glamorous and including many details that obscured the reality of her impoverished upbringing.

In 1924, Chanel partnered with Pierre Wertheimer and his brother Paul to create Parfums Chanel, to produce and market her fragrances. The Wertheimers received a 70% stake, while Chanel got 10% and her friend Théophile Bader received 20%. Perhaps understandably, Chanel later felt the deal was unfair and attempted to regain control of her brand during World War II. Some have even alleged that she used personal Nazi connections during the Nazi occupatin of France to regain the company from the Wertheimers, who were Jewish. She was unsuccessful because the Wertheimers had transferred ownership to a non-Jewish businessman to protect it from Nazi seizure. Amid the controversy, Coco fled to Switzerland.

While living in Switzerland, Coco created a new perfume line under her own name. The Wertheimers were incensed and actually came very close to suing her for infringing the commercial rights of their company Parfums Chanel. In 1947, Wertheimer and Chanel reached an amicable deal in which he paid her $400,000 in cash ($6 million in today's dollars), agreed to a 2% royalty from the sales of No. 5, and agreed to a perpetual monthly expense stipend. In exchange, Coco stopped selling her Swiss perfumes, relinquished her 10% ownership stake in Parfums Chanel, and sold her rights to the name "Coco Chanel." This deal effectively gave Wertheimer full control of the Chanel name and brand, while providing Chanel with financial security for the rest of her life. As a result of this deal, today, Pierre Wertheimer's two sons,AlainandGerard, privately own 100% of the brand. They have acombined net worth of $90-100 billion.

In her will written on October 11, 1965, six years before her death, Chanel bequeathed her fortune (estimated by the press at $10 million at the time) to the Coga Foundation (initials of Coco and Gabrielle – her real first name) to be administered by grand-niece Gabrielle Palasse-Labrunie and a team of Swiss lawyers, responsible for paying annuities to her various beneficiaries.

Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. Her parents were Eugénie Jeanne Devolle Chanel and Albert Chanel. Her mother worked as a laundrywoman in the local charity hospital, while her father was an itinerant street vendor who sold clothing and undergarments. She grew up with her older sister, Julia. The family lived a nomadic life, traveling to and from market towns and residing in various rundown lodgings. The couple went on to have four more children. Her mother died when Chanel was 11 years old, and her father sent his daughters to an orphanage run by the convent of Aubazine and his sons to work as farm laborers.

Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of her death in 1971. After adjusting for inflation that's the same as around $80 million today. Coco Chanel earned fortune and fame as the founder of the Chanel brand. She is credited with changing women's fashion in the post-World War I era and designed handbags, jewelry, and fragrances as well. Her signature scent is called Chanel No. 5. Chanel was awarded the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1957. Coco has also been credited with inventing the concept of the little black dress. Coco Chanel passed away on January 10, 1971, at the age of 87. In the years since her death, while her impact on women's fashion is undeniable, her reputation has been reexamined, considering her close ties with the Nazis.

Ultimately, Coco Chanel's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.