Sonia Rykiel presents new collection in eponymous Paris lane

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Oct 1, 2018

Sonia-Rykiel lane was officially inaugurated on Saturday night in Paris, an emotional occasion for the city and the namesake Parisian label. It was also a special moment during the Paris Fashion Week, with a warm, convivial show staged amidst the market stalls, barely illuminated by street lights and the stars in the sky, on a stretch of boulevard Raspail, in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district.
 

“It’s a lane bustling with everyday activities, there’s a market and you can hear the underground, a symbol of Paris. The place where Sonia created her designs, where she drew her inspiration from, and became an inspiration to us,” said the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, just before the show, unveiling a memorial plaque with Nathalie Rykiel, daughter of the designer who died in 2016.
 
“Sonia Rykiel was an exceptional woman, who decided to meet her life's challenges head-on. She was an example for all women. She encouraged us to enjoy our independence and was undoubtedly the most Parisian of Parisian women. She was the quintessential Parisian, and the first fashion designer to have a Paris street named after her,” said Hidalgo.

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A very emotional Nathalie Rykiel, surrounded by her entire family, paid tribute to her mother, and thanked the mayor for “tying my mother’s name to the city of her life,” in the same Saint-Germain-des-Près district where the label’s flagship store is located, at 175 boulevard Saint-Germain. Among the celebrities in attendance, Frédéric Mitterrand and Inès de la Fressange.
 
The models then started striding purposefully down the lane, in a relaxed ambience, their tote bags overflowing with vegetables and baguettes, their families in tow - husbands with dogs on a leash and kids on skateboards - clad in long macramé dresses with braided hems or broad stripes, a tribute to Sonia Rykiel’s famous knitwear and striped motifs.

Sonia Rykiel’s cheerful, everyday womenswear collection for next summer, designed by Creative Director Julie de Libran, features bodycon and sailor-stripe tops, loose sweaters, maxi trench-coats, shirt dresses, openwork and knitted dresses, tracksuits, capes and even a few lingerie items, all in a bold palette of yellow, red and royal blue.