KNITS & STRIPES

A tribute to Mme. Rykiel, re-interpreted through the vision of Rykiel’s Artistic Director, Julie de Libran. A thirteen-piece collection.

by TEAM PARIS SOCIAL DIARY, photography by COURTESY | 14 March, 2017

A thirteen-piece collection re-created from the Sonia Rykiel archive, focusing on the knits and stripes that are at the heart of the house. A tribute to Mme. Rykiel, re-interpreted through the vision of Rykiel’s Artistic Director, Julie de Libran.

Julie de Libran: ‘I was so touched by the charm and grace of this extraordinary woman who truly defines what it means to be an icon. She’s a legend of fashion, yes, but her influence reached so far beyond those realms, challenging the status quo and empowering women to embrace their freedom of spirit, intellect, sensuality, friendships and individuality, all with a lightness of touch and humour. That started with the clothes but had cultural ramifications so far beyond, that still remain relevant and are particularly relevant to women today.’

Exploring the values that were championed by Mme. Rykiel for nearly five decades and that remain more relevant than ever for women around the world.That spirit is embodied in the freedom of movement, intellectual freedom, sensuality, humour and playfulness that comes of the pieces in the collection, first conceived by Mme Rykiel and now re-proportioned, re-coloured and re-imagined for today by Julie. With a ‘multi-purpose’ theme, each piece serves the different, changing needs of a woman’s daily life and plays with a modern interpretation of femininity. The new ‘twinset’ sees a cape attached to a sleeveless sweater; a multi-sleeve cardigan incorporates a scarf; a de-constructed demi-sweater serves as a cape or a scarf to throw over the shoulders; the knit detail from a sock heel becomes the elbow on a shrunken ‘poor boy’ sweater. The ultimate expression of the idea of multi- functionality is a knit cape / coat made of tactile super-soft yarn, that’s reversible and worn either as a stripe or a solid.

A familiar signature palette sees bold colour stripes framed and grounded by black and white. T-shirts are embroidered playfully with sweater knit yarn. Accessories complete the capsule collection.
The pieces are sourced from and produced by the Italian knit factory Miles (Mi-les), based in Venice, with whom Sonia Rykiel have worked for 27 years – since their 1990 Cruise collection – using the finest Italian knitwear expertise, combined with the house’s signature St Germain Parisian style.

Buttons that appear throughout the collection feature the thumb-print of Mme Rykiel, discovered by Julie de Libran in the Miles archive and the ultimate personal imprint of her vision.