Chanel 'marketing genius' Arie Kopelman dies of pancreatic cancer as family pay tribute to 'kind' man
Arie Kopelman, the former president and chief operating officer of Chanel who was credited for helping drive massive growth for the luxury fashion brand, has died.
Kopelman’s daughter Jill Kargman broke the news of his death on her Instagram page and said her father had died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 86 on Monday night (October 7).
In a company statement, Chanel said: “Arie was a visionary leader who carved an ambitious plan for Chanel, laying the foundation for a solid and enduring business. Known for his charisma and empathy, he embodied the qualities of a leader . . . He leaves behind an extraordinary professional and personal legacy.”
Will Kopelman, Kopelman’s son: said: “I am often stopped on the street by people who used to work with my dad, and they will go out of their way to tell me how much they loved being in meetings with him, or how he’d always be armed with a joke or a story . . . And that’s what my dad leaves behind: not just his accomplishments in both the worlds of advertising and fashion - of which there are many - but the indelible impression he made on people.”
Jill Kargman said: “I meet so many people who had encountered my dad in his career at Chanel, and the resounding pattern — beyond his marketing genius — was how hilarious and kind he was.”
Kopelman was born on September 23 1938 in a town called Brookline, Massachusetts, United States. He studied pre-medicine but majored in art history. In the end, he decided to pursue a career in retail, but also considered working as a comedian.
He once worked at ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, where he worked with big clients as JB Liquors, Heinz Ketchup, as well as Chanel. He created ad campaigns for the French luxury brand and, in 1985, the owners of Chanel, Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer, hired Kopelman as Chanel Inc.’s president and chief operating officer at their New York headquarters.
In his personal life, he was married to Coco Kopelman. The way Kopelman told it, Alain Wertheimer told him, “I will never find someone whose wife’s name is Coco and whose first language is French. Come and run my company”, according to WWD.
Over the next 19 years, Kopelman expanded the company’s retail, fragrance, cosmetics, skin care, eyewear and accessories businesses, growing it into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
When he began working for Chanel, the brand had two freestanding boutiques. By the time he retired as president and chief operating officer in 2004, there were 17 brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. He retired after he turned 66 in September 2004, but he still became vice chairman for another four years.
In an interview in 2004, Kopelman described what he loved about the job and how it encompassed all the things he enjoyed doing. “This was the first time in my life when everything came together. It was all the things I looked to do. It was advertising, it was merchandising, it was retailing, it was running a business. And I loved fashion from a distance — I was one of those rare husbands who didn’t mind when his wife asked him to come and look at two dresses and help her make a decision.”
Kopelman is survived by his wife, Coco, daughter Jill Kargman and son-in-law, Harry Kargman; son Will Kopelman and daughter-in-law, Alexandra Michler and six grandchildren. A private family service is planned and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.