Coco Chanel is the archetype of personal brand becoming house myth: jersey practicality, numbered perfume as financial engine, and biography entangled with war-era controversy. FTN profiles Chanel the person and Chanel the company; this list supplies biographies and films that separate craft from hagiography.
Biographies and Histories
Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History
Rhonda K. Garelick · Book
Critical biography engaging politics and myth—long but necessary context.
The Little Black Dress / Chanel design monographs
Various · Book
Visual and design history—pair with The Luxury Strategy for pricing theory.
Film
Coco Before Chanel
Warner Bros. · Documentary
Biopic entry point—verify facts in print histories.