You could say that Sonia Rykiel was a bit of a rebel for her time. “Pioneer” is a word that has been used quite a bit to describe her. Her manifesto wanted “women to be eccentric, seductive, mysterious, and to create their own style.” At a time when women were told to be dainty, coy, and perfect beyond belief, she strived for the opposite.
Fueled by her frustration with the lack of stylish knitwear in the sixties, Sonia Rykiel took it upon herself to create colorful, body-hugging knitwear that freed young women at the time from societal expectations that they should dress accordingly and stay the course of those who came before them.
Finally, clothes that honored and encouraged self-expression through high-fashion knits boasting femme fits, incredible hues, playful stripes, fun trousers, surprising sequins and rhinestones, and an overall aesthetic as rebellious as its maker. In a WWD interview 2008, Rykiel said, “Since I didn’t know anything, I did everything I wanted. I didn’t listen to anyone. I was so violent, so authoritarian, only listening to what I wanted and myself. People loved me or hated me. Those who loved me, loved me a lot. The others, I didn’t bother with them very much.”
Sadly, Sonia Rykiel passed away at 86 in 2016 from Parkinson’s disease, but the beloved French designer’s fiery and forward personality and designs made her an icon of fashion. The “Queen of Knitwear” lives on.
