27 Facts About Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Rykiel created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French Elle magazine.

The Sonia Rykiel label was founded in 1968, upon the opening of her first store, making clothing, accessories, and fragrances.

In 2012, Sonia Rykiel revealed that she was suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Sonia Rykiel died from complications of the disease on 25 August 2016.

Sonia Rykiel Flis was born to Jewish parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 25 May 1930.

Sonia Rykiel's mother was from Poland, and her father was a watchmaker from Romania.

In 1953, Sonia married Sam Rykiel, owner of Laura, a boutique selling elegant clothing.

Sonia Rykiel often wore her clothes from her own label and stuck to wearing dark green, brown, navy, and black garments.

In 2009, Sonia Rykiel signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.

In 1962, unable to find something to wear during her pregnancy, Sonia Rykiel used an Italian clothing supplier to design and create a dress and a sweater, which incorporated high cut arm holes and a shrunken fit to cling to the body.

Sonia Rykiel started selling the sweaters from her husband's store and the Poor Boy Sweater made the cover of French Elle magazine, bringing Sonia Rykiel fame.

In 1968, Sonia Rykiel opened her first boutique store on the Left Bank.

Sonia Rykiel was the first designer to put seams on the outside of a garment, leave hems unfinished and use slogans on her sweaters.

Sonia Rykiel has been credited with popularisation of wearing black.

In 1972, Sonia Rykiel was dubbed "Queen of Knits" by Women's Wear Daily.

Sonia Rykiel was known as "Coco Rykiel", a comparison to Coco Chanel.

Sonia Rykiel contributed to the interior decoration for the Hotel de Crillon and the Hotel Lutetia.

Sonia Rykiel designed and created the costumes for the French musical comedy Les Dix Commandements.

In January 2012 the Sonia Rykiel Company became majority-owned by the Hong Kong-based First Heritage Brands, part of the investment company Fung Brands.

In 2019, after years of mismanagement by First Heritage Brands, the Sonia Rykiel brand liquidated its operations, after a Paris commercial court judge rejected Levy, the only remaining bidder for the company.

Sonia Rykiel wrote several books about fashion, a collection of children's stories, magazine columns and an epistolary novel with Regine Deforges.

Sonia Rykiel makes a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's 1994 film Pret-a-Porter.

Sonia Rykiel appears as Hortense in the 1998 French comedy film Riches, belles, etc.

Sonia Rykiel died at her home in Paris during the morning of 25 August 2016, aged 86.

Sonia Rykiel's death was caused by complications from Parkinson's disease.

Sonia Rykiel revealed in 2012 that she had been suffering from the disease for fifteen years.

Sonia Rykiel is survived by her children Nathalie and Jean-Philippe Rykiel.