Grandsons of Chanel’s co-founder, Pierre Wertheimer, announced on Monday, November 25, that the brand’s matriarch, Madame Eliane Heilbronn, had died. Eliane Heilbronn had been involved with the company since 1947, when she married Jacques Wertheimer, the heir to Pierre Wertheimer, owner of Parfums Chanel and founder of the fashion house, along with his brother, Paul.
Eliane divorced Jacques Wertheimer in 1952. The couple had two sons, Alain and Gerard, who were four and one at the time of their parent’s split. She later remarried Didier Heilbronn, with whom she had a third son, Charles Gregoire.
Eliane Heilbronn was an intelligent and determined young woman. While many may have been content to marry into the Chanel fortune, Heilbronn made her way, attending law school at New York University and later opening her firm, Salans Hertzfeld Heilbronn. At 25, her eldest son inherited the Chanel fortune and selected his mother’s firm to become the private law firm of the company. Since 1978, Eliane Heilbronn has overseen every dispute, project, and acquisition. Nothing has gone through without her approval. She also drafted the contract for the legendary Chanel director Karl Lagerfeld in 1982.
Chanel has seen sales jump in the last year, reporting that 2023’s sales were just short of $20 billion despite significant internal changes. Last June, Virginie Viard stepped down as artistic director of fashion and haute couture at Chanel. Her replacement may be one of the company’s first major decisions made without the legal aid of Heilbronn.
Eliane Heilbronn was 99. Her family will hold a private funeral service next week.
