Although her company is one of the oldest French fashion houses still in operation, Lanvin herself remains relatively obscure. Like Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, her much more famous near contemporary, Lanvin began her career as a milliner. Four years later, in 1889, she opened a shop, “Lanvin (Mlle Jeanne) Modes” on Rue Boissy d’Anglas, just off the chic Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. (This is still the site of the house's flagship store.) In 1897 Lanvin gave birth to a daughter, Marguerite, who would become her muse, and started designing children’s clothing. As her designs began getting noticed she added departments for women’s and young ladies’ clothes, and joined the Syndicat de la Couture, the fashion industry's official governing body, in 1909.