Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel had a lifelong affinity for the lion. It’s fitting, given a comparison provides a striking number of character parallels: a shared intrepidness for forging into new territory, an impressive fearlessness, an inherent strength (the king of the animals in physicality, the designer in her assuredness), and definitely more than a fast of fierceness.
But perhaps above all, both designers and beast have incredible instinct. Chanel, after all, bucked every sartorial trend in the early 1900s with her simple yet elegant silhouettes. It was an intuitive move that would see the aesthetic of the time pivot, not only in her beloved Paris, but across the globe.
It’s little wonder, then, that the lion became something of a spirit animal for Chanel. An ancient symbol of protection and strength, as well as Chanel’s own brith sign, the lion cemented its importance for the designer after a trip to Venice in 1920, while she was mourning the death of her lover Arthur “Boy” Capel. There, the ancient bronze winged lion in St Mark’s Square and the many others that gaze down from buildings throughout the city, inspired in Chanel a deep and personal connection with the city.
