Sonia Rykiel is the creator of a luxury brand that makes apparels (especially knitwear), undergarments, perfumes and accessories for men and women.
Born in 1930, this Parisian designer started as a window dresser in a textile store during her girlhood days. Sonia married a rich dress designer and owner of a fashion boutique. She found it difficult to find elegant sweaters and knitwear to wear during her pregnancy. Without any formal training in designing, Sonia Rykiel designed her own soft wool sweaters taking the help of a friend in Venice. Soon, she experimented with seams inside out, altering the hem and lining and so on. ‘Poor boy Sweater’, one of her first creations, marched its way to the cover page of Elle magazine, and brought her swift recognition. By 1968, she opened her own boutique in Paris’ Left Bank specializing in knitwear. Her creations included fluid garments in soft wools, jersey, angor and mohair. Her eccentric and maverick designing styles saw the launch of novel ideas like clothing that could be worn inside out, seams made visible on the outside of the garment, rebellious print words appearing on the sweaters and so on. Her collections are a chic blend of long clinging sweaters, embellished cardigans, large rolled-back cuffs, sensuous and figure-hugging garments, quirky trenches and asymmetrical cuts, small cropped pullovers and long shawls. Expanding her business, Rykiel created her first perfume in 1978 only to be followed by many other perfumes in the coming years.
Rose by Sonia Rykiel is a perfume for women. Inspired by Rykiel’s daughter, Nathalie, this floral and fruity perfume possesses a lively blend of flowers with heart notes of the flower Rose. The base notes include soft woody notes of teakwood and sandalwood sprinkled with white musk and amber with hints of spices. Rose is available in a soft peony pink-coloured bottle.
Grey, men’s perfume and cologne, is another of Sonia Rykiel’s creations. Masculine and sensual at the same time, Grey has top notes of Japanese yuzu, Mandarin tree leaves, Anis star and Green apple. Heart notes include fresh and warm Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cyclamen and Rose wood, while the base is a whirl of green notes of Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Tonka bean seasoned with spices and velvety musk. Classic in spirit and unmistakably modern in its expression, Grey is a favourite with men.
Other perfumes from Rykiel include Belle En Rykiel, Rykiel Homme, Sonia Rykiel Parfum, L’eau De, Man, Woman and Le Parfum.
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