Designer of the Week

DESIGNER OF THE WEEK: SONIA RYKIEL

Sonia Rykiel was born in Paris, France in 1930. Sonia was married to the owner of a boutique which sold his own label entitled “Laura”. In 1962, Sonia couldn't find any soft sweaters to wear when she was pregnant so she used a supplier that her husband used and designed her own first maternity dresses and sweaters.

As a result, the sweater has become Sonia’s symbol and she was crowned "Queen of Knits" by the Americans in 1967. Her first creation was called the “Poor boy Sweater”, and she started selling it from her husband’s label "Laura". When one of her sweaters made the cover of ELLE fashion magazine, she hit it huge. She later elaborated on her sweater designs and became the first designer to put seams on the outside of a garment and to print words on her sweaters, which she still uses today in her collections.

Sonia’s sweaters made a mark in the fashion world when sweaters were not considered an refined item. In 1980 Sonia was even voted one of the world's 10 most elegant women. Sonia and her daughter Nathalie just recently expanded into the United States and selectively sell their items to only the elite stores that parallel Sonia’s charm.

*information provided by Wikipedia