Sonia Rykiel, ‘Queen of Knitwear’ Fashion Designer, Dies at 86

Sonia Rykiel

By Josefin Dolsten August 26, 2016

— Prominent French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, who was known for her knitwear designs, died Thursday at 86.

Rykiel, dubbed the “Queen of Knitwear,” had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease since the late 1990s.

She was known for celebrating women’s bodies with knitted striped clothes that clung to the body.

Rykiel often broke unspoken fashion rules, such as by designing clothes for women of all ages rather than catering to a younger audience.

The Paris native was the daughter of a Jewish Polish mother and Romanian father. She married Paris boutique owner Sam Rykiel in 1953. The couple had two children, Jean-Philippe and Nathalie, but divorced in 1968. Nathalie currently serves as the managing and artistic director of her mother’s fashion label.

“It is a sad day but Sonia Rykiel leaves behind her an extraordinary legacy,” said Jean-Marc Loubier, chairman and chief executive of First Heritage Brands, the parent company of Rykiel’s label.

The office of French President Francois Hollande said: “She had invented not only a style but an attitude, a way of life, and gave women freedom of movement.”

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO