Designer of the week is Sonia Rykiel. Also known as Sonia Flis. This beautiful designer, I had the pleasure of learning in one of my travels. Some may know her from being a writer and some may know her from when she created the Poor Boy Sweater that was featured on the cover of French Elle magazine. With the label being created in 1968, Rykiel soon gained the name "Queen of Knits" due to her techniques and knitwear designs by Women's Wear Daily. She was the oldest of five siblings and at the age of 17, she got a job at the Grande Maison de Blanc dressing window displays.
Sonia married Sam Rykiel in 1953. You could say it was like everything came together when they met each other. The chemistry was undeniable but shortly lived. They divorced in 1968. Rykiel had a theme that I feel many follow. She mainly wore dark green, brown, navy and black garments. If you look in many individuals closets, you will see a theme of what color they gravitate to. Mine is grey, navy, and black. One thing that was told to me that really struck is that Rykiel hated to waste her time picking out outfits. She just wanted to pick something and it would automatically work. If I do that, I tend to go for a t-shirt and jeans. It's simple but if I try something else, it never works out. Therefore, the game starts of what works and what doesn't. Is this something you go through as well? Fun fact is that Rykiel was the first to put seams on the outside of garments, use slogans, and leave hems unfinished.
Like many other designers, Rykiel also dabbled in designing for musicals, creating a fragrance line, decoration for hotels and becoming an admirable woman. When it was the brands 40th anniversary, many designers came together and did a tribute to Rykiel by creating version of the "Rykiel woman". Around 2012, Rykiel was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. After battling this disease for fifteen years, she was laid to rest. She really didn't let this disease define her which made her even more lovable. The next time you go to Paris, visit the street named after Sonia Rykiel. This was put in around October 2018.
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