Chanel
Who
The Wertheimer family, French Jewish industrialists
When
1924
Where
Paris, France
The house of Chanel has been owned since 1924 by the Wertheimer family, who financed and built the business behind the name. They fled France in 1940; the Nazis moved to seize the firm as Jewish property, and the family recovered it after the war. Alain and Gérard Wertheimer own it still.
Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.