Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of the famous fashion brand, Chanel. Her extraordinary influence on haute couture was such that she was the only person in the field to be named on Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century.