Lately, Sonia Rykiel aged 86, known as the Queen of Knitwear was suffering from Parkinson’s disease died this Thursday.
Nathalie Rykiel, managing and artistic director of the Sonia Rykiel fashion label, said: “My mother died at 05:00 this morning at her home in Paris from the effects of Parkinson’s.”

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She started her career as a window dresser in 1948, with her first foray into design being when she knitted herself maternity dresses after marrying Sam Rykiel, the owner of a Paris boutique.

Rykiel made her breakthrough in 1962 with the so-called poor boy sweater, which had long sleeves and a fitted shape. During her career she developed new techniques like inside-out stitching and no-hem finishings, with other star pieces including embroidered knitted tops and rhinestone-studded berets.

Rykiel opened her first ready-to-wear store on Paris’s Left Bank in 1968 and her fashion empire went on to include menswear, children’s clothing, accessories and perfumes.

According to her website, Rykiel “urged women to be eccentric, seductive, mysterious, and to create their own style”. (courtesy: bbc.com )