Born in Paris in 1930, Sonia Rykiel did not have any formal education in fashion design.

She started designing out of necessity! She was pregnant and could not find anything that she liked, so she designed her own clothes.

Her specialty is knitwear and her trademark design are skinny sweaters with raised armholes in distinctive colors and striped pattern.

Since 1964, she has been nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear and forty years later, she still holds that title.

She continues to come out with a collection of sportswear every year, but during the 1990s, the House of Rykiel were overshadowed by the bigger names of Gucci and LVMH.

That is until 2000 when Sonia Rykiel started a renaissance of her name and trademark.

A whole generation of fashionistas rediscovered Sonia Rykiel who had never wavered in her designs meant for the physically fit (you need the right body to fit in those skinny sweaters).

Chic but never offending, and the addition of random words across the chest or down an arm endures.

Spring 2007 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

Menswear Fall 2007 (Photo by FW)

Website: www.soniarykiel.fr

Press Contact for SONIA RYKIEL:
Edouard Schneider
175 Boulevard Saint Germain
75006 Paris
France
Tel: (33) 1 49 54 60 00
Fax: (33) 1 49 54 66 17

Buyers Contact:
Didier GROSPIRON
175 Boulevard Saint Germain
75006 Paris
France
Tel: (33) 1 49 54 60 00
Fax: (33) 1 49 54 66 96