Fashion Legend Sonia Rykiel Dies at 86

Culture&Arts Nilgun Salim
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The fashion legend died at the age of 86. In 2012, during an interview for Vogue, Sonia Rykiel revealed her 15-year struggle with Parkinson.

She was born on May 25, 1930, in Paris. Sonia made a name for herself in 1968 after she opened her first boutique. The first celebrities who visited her couture store were Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Audrey Hepburn.

At the age of 17, Sonia worked in the store, where she had to dress the window displays in a Parisian textile store, the Grande Maison de Blanc. A couple of months later, she married the owner.

During her pregnancy, Sonia became very frustrated because she was not able to find comfy and soft sweaters. So she ordered some fabrics all the way from Venice in order to create her own pieces. She designed an entire collection of knitted dresses and sweaters. A specific sweater, named “Laura” landed on the cover of many popular fashion magazines, turning Sonia into a real fashion brand.

In 1968, Sonia Rykiel opens the first “Sonia Rykiel” couture store in Saint-Germain-des-PRes on Grenelle Street. At that time most of her creations were specially designed for pregnant women.

Ten years later, she managed to launch her first perfume and in 1987 she came up with the cosmetic line „Sonia Rykiel Night and Day”.

Sonia imposed in the fashion industry with her unique collections based on knitted jackets, over-sized sweaters, and the most stylish knitted garments.

In 2012, the Hong-Kong-based company Fung Brands, acquired 80 percent of Sonia Rykiel, with the Rykiel family retaining a 20 percent stake.