Sonia Rykiel, a French fashion designer, passed away at the age of 86 on Thursday.
Sonia Rykiel passed away while in her home located in Paris, France. The cause of death was complications associated with Parkinson’s disease. The news was confirmed by her daughter and French government officials.
“Her style will remain the symbol of the alliance between color and nature; fluidity and light,” François Hollande, the President of France, said in a post on Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) that was translated by CNN.
Here are a few things to know about Sonia Rykiel, as collected from The New York Times.
- Rykiel started designing clothes in 1961 while she was pregnant with her second child.
- Her creations included knitwear that was designed to enhance a woman’s features.
- She was awarded the Legion of Honor by two different French presidents.
- Rykiel once told an American fashion editor that her color was black.
- She created clothes that were for “fragile, but strong,” women and rejected the outlandish styles created by many other designers.
- Sonia Rykiel’s work wasn’t limited to just clothes. She also wrote novels, children’s books and columns for several fashion magazines.
- She married Sam Rykiel in 1953 and had two children, who are still living, before they divorced in 1968.
- She expanded her clothing line in the 1980’s to include clothes for both men and children.
- Rykiel retired from the fanshion industry in 2009 and published her last book in 2012.
- She hid the fact that she had Parkinson’s disease from her family and friends for 15 years.
Follow this link to learn more about fashion designer Sonia Rykiel.
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