When talking about French culture, it is nearly impossible not to discuss the fashion houses of France. One of the most famous of which is Chanel, a French fashion brand established by Coco Chanel on January 1, 1910. Her full name was Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, and she was around 20 years old when she created her first store in 1910. She was able to open this small millinery shop with the help of Arthur "Boy" Capel, one of her admirers. This business soon grew to sell jersey sweaters and other kinds of sportswear, which quickly attracted wealthy women who sought relief from tight corsets. This established the idea the brand was soon based on: "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury." The brand quickly developed into a massive company, revolutionizing the fashion industry at the time with its comfortable luxury clothing. One product that cemented the brand's status was the creation of Chanel No.5 in 1921, which is a perfume that is sold to this day. Overall, the fashion industry and French culture was permanently altered by Chanel's influences.

One of the other most notable "haute couture" fashion houses in France is Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton, was created by French designer Louis Vuitton in 1845. The brand is known for its LV label, which is on nearly all of its products, as well as their luxury leather goods and bags. Louis Vuitton established his brand in 1845, and the first storefront was on Rue Neuve de Capuncines in Paris. The Brand has somewhat of a dark history, as during WW2 Louis Vuitton "collaborated" with the Nazis during their occupation in France. It is said that members of the Vuitton family assisted the Vichy government throughout the occupation by creating over 2,500 buscts glorifying Marshal Phillipe Petain, a WW2 general. The family also increased their wealth by making business deals with the German government. After the WW2 era, the brand focused on growing its collection, expanding to include wallets, small purses, and large luggage, all including leather in their design. The brand has continued to sell many of the same products to this day, and their consistency has solidified the place in the fashion industry.

Another important aspect of French culture and, to many people, the French identity is religion. Over 41.6 million (64%) citizens identify themselves as Roman Catholic and about 33-42% say they do not subscribe to a religion. France, although having many cathedrals and a large Roman Catholic population, has maintained a tradition of secularism since 1958. In 1958, the Constitution declared that, "France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs." 

French (Français) is the official language of France, with about 88% of the population speaking it as a first language. French is a Romance language that is the official language of 25 countries with 60 million people speaking it as a native language. French is spoken by nearly 7.3 million in Canada, 3.9 million people in Belgium, and by 1.3 million Americans. It is also spoken by about 49 million Africans and 180,000 in Monaco and Italy.

In France, the next most widely spoken languages in France are variations of German (3%), Italian near the border(1.7%), Flemish (0.2%), and Catalan and Basque (0.5%). In addition to these, about 17% of the population speaks Occitan dialects, and another 1.7% speaks Arabic.

It'd be quite difficult to list every French custom/tradition, so here is a short bulleted list of a few of the most common customs in France.

• Don't tip waiters/waitresses, as a meal is seen as something to be experienced in France and tipping is factored into the price of the meal

• Only smile when it is genuine

• Don't request café au lait at a restaurant and instead ask for café crème

• Leave behind leftover from a meal, because it is believed to only eat a meal while it is at it's best

• When greeting family or friends, "air" kiss them cheek-to-cheek

• Keep your voice down when conversing in public, as it as seen as rude and disruptive if you speak loudly - and as a way to quickly out yourself as a tourist

Claude Monet was born Oscar-Claude Monet on November 14, 1840, in Paris, France, and died on December 5, 1926, in Giverny as a key figure of the Impressionist movement and as one of the, in my opinion, greatest artists of all time. His style is known for capturing light and for its portrayal of natural environments. His father was a grocer and he developed his painting skill during his teenage years. A large portion of his younger years were spent near the sea due to his father's job, and he gained a great knowledge of the ocean and other natural landscapes. In 1893, he purchased a plot of land close to his house. The land consisted of a flower garden and the tributary of the Epte. Here, he built a water lily garden where he spent much of his time. Monet influenced many other artists such as Van Gogh - one of his contemporaries -  and to a new generation of artists, including Èmile Bernard and Henri Matisse.