Sonia Rykiel Designs Knitwear Line For H&M

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Sonia Rykiel, the legendary French fashion designer, whose creations have been adored by fashionistas all over the globe for more than 40 years, is now launching an exclusive knitwear collection for the High Street store H&M.

Sonia Rykiel's striped sweater is known as one of contemporary fashion's most iconic pieces, long desired by women around the world. And now, taking us back to her roots with this new decidedly French line, the designer has created a series of brightly colored monochrome and striped sweaters that are finished with chirpy French slogans, as well as the rhinestone embellished berets, wonderful jumper dresses and classy short suits. For H&M, Sonia Rykiel has designed these stripes in the most vibrant colours - just perfect for shaking away the winter blues.

Starting this month, H&M customers will be given a chance to get hold of the collection that is full of classic Rykiel signatures, and for the first time ever there is a range of designs for little girls too. Shoppers will also have an opportunity to purchase the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M bag, part of the earnings from which will go straight to UNICEF's "All for Children" project. Also, there will be other classic Rykiel touches to the new range too, such as bows which are proudly attached on the front of striped sweaters, or the carefree use of words on a slogan top.

Widely regarded as one of the world's most elegant ladies, Sonia Rykiel first launched her label in the 60s after having hard time finding stylish knitwear while expecting a child. "The essence of Sonia Rykiel is the Parisian woman of Saint Germain des Pres, the Left Bank or Rive Gauche," explained Nathalie Rykiel, the designer's daughter, who is also president and artistic director of the Rykiel fashion house. For those who don't know, Sonia Rykiel is the first designer to put seams on the outside of garments, and words across the front of sweaters and tops.

The partnership with Sonia Rykiel is another joint collaboration for H&M, which has already done hugely successful collections with the top designers like Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Comme des Garcons, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo, Viktor & Rolf and Karl Largerfeld.

At prices starting from around £24.99 for a jumper, or £29.99 for a one-shoulder dress, the H&M new collection is considerably more affordable than the mainline Sonia Rykiel collection, which starts at around £500 for a sweater. The collection comes complete with platform sandals, which can be worn with Sonia Rykiel pour H&M striped socks until the weather warms up.

The Sonia Rykiel pour H&M collection will be launched on February 20th in 200 stores worldwide.