What Is the Chanel Logo?
The Chanel logo is two interlocking letters C, one facing left and one facing right, often shown with the name CHANEL in capital letters. It belongs to Chanel, the French fashion house that Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel started in 1910 as a hat shop called Chanel Modes at 21 rue Cambon in Paris, and that grew into couture, perfume, beauty and jewellery.
The double C also works as hardware: since the 1980s it has been the clasp of the quilted Chanel flap bag. The double C with the CHANEL name is available as the Chanel logo SVG.
Chanel Logo Facts
| Introduced | First use claimed from 1920; registered in the US in 1925 |
| Symbol | Two interlocking, opposed letters C |
| Logo type | Combination mark: the double C above the CHANEL name |
| Owner | Chanel Limited, owned by Alain and Gérard Wertheimer |
What the Chanel Logo Means
The two Cs are generally read as the initials of Coco Chanel, the nickname under which Gabrielle Chanel became famous. The mark works through symmetry: the letters are the same shape, mirrored, so the double C looks identical from either side and reads clearly when it is cast in metal on a bag clasp.
Chanel Logo History
Gabrielle Chanel opened Chanel Modes at 21 rue Cambon in 1910, as a hat shop. In 1918 she moved her couture house to 31 rue Cambon, which has housed the design studio, workshops and salon of the house ever since.
In 1921 she commissioned the perfumer Ernest Beaux to create a scent for the house, and the result was No. 5. Three years later, on 18 November 1924, Chanel, Inc. filed two applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office: one for the word Chanel and one for the interlocking CC design. Both were registered on 24 February 1925, and the double C filing gives 1 January 1920 as its date of first use.
The double C moved to the front of the bag in the 1980s. The 2.55 bag of February 1955 closed with a clasp known as the Mademoiselle lock. In 1983 Karl Lagerfeld took over as chief designer, and the flap bag he introduced, the 11.12, closed with a double C instead.
Chanel and Gucci
Chanel and Gucci both built their monograms from a doubled letter. Gucci's GG pairs the initials of Guccio Gucci, while Chanel's mirrored Cs are read as Coco Chanel (compare the Gucci logo). Chanel's mark was registered in the US in 1925, decades before Gucci applied its GG to canvas in the early 1960s.
For more brands like Chanel, browse our fashion logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the two Cs in the Chanel logo stand for?
They are generally read as the initials of Coco Chanel, the founder's nickname.
When was the Chanel logo registered?
Chanel, Inc. filed the interlocking CC design with the US trademark office on 18 November 1924, and it was registered on 24 February 1925.
Did Karl Lagerfeld change the Chanel logo?
No. He kept the double C but made it the clasp of the 11.12 flap bag after he became chief designer in 1983.
Where did Chanel start?
At 21 rue Cambon in Paris, where Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat shop called Chanel Modes in 1910.