French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel has died at the age of 86.
The designer, who was known in the industry as the Queen of Knitwear, had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Her daughter Nathalie Rykiel, currently the managing artistic director of the eponymous label, said, ‘My mother died at 5am this morning at her home in Paris from the effects of Parkinson’s.’
In 2012, the designer revealed that she had been suffering from the disease for 15 years, after it became difficult for her to disguise the symptoms.
Famed for her colourful, patterned knitwear, including shrunken, fine-ribbed jumpers affectionately nicknamed ‘poor boy sweaters,’ Rykiel launched her Paris-based fashion house in 1968. Her shop, found on the city's Left Bank, was frequented by the likes of Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot.
Despite being best known for her knits, Rykiel never actually learned to knit herself.
She stepped down from her role as CEO and artistic director of the label in 1998, but continued to remain involved, taking the position of honourary president. She was awarded the prestigious Légion d'Honneur in 2009, in recognition of her services to the French fashion industry.
Julie de Libran, who has previously served at Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton, is the brand's current creative director.
Grazia's Fashion News and Features Editor, Charlie Gowans-Eglinton said, 'Sonia Rykiel has long been an integral part of French fashion, dating back to her shrunken sweaters in the 1960s, her use of colour, stripes, sequins… Current creative director Julie de Libran has been charged with bringing the house back to fashion’s forefront, and the latest collections have recaptured some of Rykiel’s own spirit.'
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