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The war of Chanel N°5: The struggle of an icon against her Jewish associates the Wertheimer brothers

Dernière mise à jour : 26 janv. 2022

At first, Coco Chanel wanted to sell N°5 in her boutiques, then in Galeries Lafayette, thanks to her association with the Wertheimer entrepreneurs.

The Perfume company was founded on April 4, 1924, with Paul and Pierre Wertheimer, owners of the Bourgeois company, which manufactured Chanel 5 perfume, allowing Chanel 5 to be deployed and distributed worldwide. According to the contract, the Wertheimers had 70% of the shares because they took all the risks, the director of Galeries Lafayette, Théophile Bader, being the business introducer, will take 20% of the shares and Coco Chanel only 10%. However, after a few years, under the influence of her lover, Coco Chanel realized that holding only 10% of the shares was insufficient. When the two Wertheimer brothers invented the pocket N°5, she began a gigantic and tough commercial battle.


When World War II began, Coco Chanel was ousted from the Board of Directors of Perfumes Chanel. Its shops are closed. The main factories of N°5 are bombed.

In 1941, Coco Chanel sharply denigrated the "N°5 of New Jersey" and launched the perfume "Mademoiselle N°1". At the same time, she is trying to get her hands on the Chanel Perfume Company through the Nazi Aryanization policy and her relationship with German spy Von Dincklage. For their part, the Jewish Wertheimer are developing a strategy without the knowledge of the seamstress.

The company passes into the hands of the aircraft manufacturer Félix Amiot and the manufacture of the perfume is done in the United States, where they fled. The jasmine is brought from Grasse by a former OSS spy. Despite their respect for Coco Chanel, the Germans decide to leave the company to Félix Amiot, who builds 370 planes for the Reich.


In 1944, Paris was liberated. Coco Chanel will be arrested at the Liberation for collaboration with the Germans. She will be released thanks to Churchill and will leave for Lausanne. During her exile in Switzerland, she relaunched her improved fragrance, "Chanel's Super 5". This will confuse the original for these clients and cause the Wertheimer brothers to end the war with her. They will find an agreement, which will make Coco extremely rich.


This page of history has long been overlooked. It was not until after his death that evidence of his collaboration was disclosed. Without denying all the accusations indicating Coco Chanel's anti-Semitism, the Chanel group downplays the claims by emphasizing that its role during the war retains "an element of mystery".

Strongly linked to the brand's image, the revelations about the personality of its founder could always be detrimental to the group.


Gabrielle Chanel is a timeless icon, thus remaining a controversial figure for her attitude during the war and her determination in the business leading to conflicts with the Wertheimer family.


Finally, without Gabrielle Chanel, who embodied this Chanel 5 perfume, this international success would not have been. Without the Wertheimer family, there would not have been the creation of this beautiful perfume house.



Flore Brault Custot

19/11/2021

References:


Images: (Presentation by Flore Brault)

http://revues.univ-tlse2.fr/pum/nacelles/index.php?id=222 (Félix Amiot à la barre de son yacht à la fin des années 1940, Archives personnelles de la Famille Amiot-Lang)



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