Photo Courtesy of Instagram/SoniaRykiel

Yesterday, the world bid farewell to one of the most influential designers in the history of fashion, the celebrated French designer Sonia Rykiel.

Known for her extravagantly colored knitwear designs, the red-headed artist passed away at 86 years old, leaving behind a dynasty of ground-breaking collections, constituting her eponymous label “Sonia Rykiel”. The “rebel” designer who had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease since 2012, had established a controversial kingdom, worthy of her “Queen of knitwear” title. Her legacy remains forever existent in the hearts of women who fought for the freedom of movement at a time where fashion was limited to many constraints, from Brigitte Bardot to many other stars.

She first opened her own store in 1968 in one of the most fashion –oriented cities, Paris, and more specifically in the Left Bank. As she wholeheartedly designed for the free-spirited women like herself, Rykiel received in 2009 the award of The Order of Légion d’Honneur, true to her revolutionary presence in the fashion world. Her creativity was one of a kind and her exceptional vision was second to none, making for an irrefutable legacy. She was truly a woman who pushed others to artistic extremes, what with her inside-out stitching techniques and her rhinestone berets. Leaving her kingdom to her children, Nathalie and Jean-Philippe, the designer remained closely connected to her label as honorary president, even though in 2007, her daughter Nathalie had taken over continuing in her mother’s footsteps. And as Julie de Libran was appointed creative director in 2014, the House continued to deliver Parisian chic outerwear, true to the late Rykiels’ irreverent taste.

As an ode to a woman who was constantly a major part of French fashion, here are a few of her label’s latest looks, in the Photo Gallery below.