Final Reckoning

Coco Chanel's legacy resists simple summary. She was a creative genius who collaborated with Nazis, a business innovator who exploited workers, a liberator of women's fashion who held conservative views on women's roles. These contradictions cannot be resolved by better scholarship or more nuanced analysis. They are fundamental to who she was and what she represents.

Her aesthetic innovations permanently changed how women dress and think about dressing. The elimination of corsets, the elevation of sportswear, the integration of masculine elements—these shifts had real, positive effects on women's lives. Millions of women have felt more confident and capable because of clothing innovations Chanel pioneered. This impact cannot be dismissed because of her personal failures.

Yet those failures were real and serious. Her wartime collaboration, her treatment of Jewish business partners, her exploitation of workers—these actions caused real harm to real people. No amount of aesthetic innovation excuses moral failure. Contemporary engagement with Chanel's legacy must acknowledge both achievement and harm without allowing either to eclipse the other.

The global fashion system Chanel helped create enables both creative expression and systematic exploitation. Her business innovations made fashion more accessible while maintaining hierarchies. Her aesthetic philosophy promoted both liberation and conformity. These contradictions reflect fashion's position within capitalist modernity—offering freedom through consumption while perpetuating inequality.

Perhaps Chanel's most lasting legacy is demonstrating fashion's cultural importance. She proved that clothing design could shape how people understand themselves and navigate the world. Fashion, in her hands, became a medium for exploring fundamental questions about identity, beauty, and social organization. This elevation of fashion's cultural status remains influential even as we critique her specific contributions.