Fashion Designer. Called the "Queen of Knits", she is remembered for her iconic creations produced over half a century as well as for her 'trademark' red hair. Born Sonia Fils, she was raised in the Paris suburbs, at 17 got a job as a window dresser, and in 1953 married Sam Rykiel (divorced 1968), owner of an upscale boutique called Laura. Sonia started designing her own clothes during her first pregnancy when she was unable to find a maternity dress that pleased her, began selling out of her husband's shop in the early 1960s, marketed first 'Poor Boy Sweater' in 1962, first saw one of her designs on the cover of "Elle" in 1963, and in 1968 opened her own Left Bank boutique. Her product fit right in with the hippie culture of the times and when girls burned their bras they could wear Sonia's clothing without anyone noticing the difference. She could dazzle with her shows and became a mainstay of such publications as "Harper's Bazaar" and "Vogue" while designing the costumes for a number of cinematic and theatrical productions. Her shop sold high fashion for a high price along with her own fragrance line, though in keeping with the culture of the time and place it also carried racy lingerie and sex toys. Not restricting herself to fashion, she wrote books on design, a collection of philosophy, and at least one novel. She was the basis for Anouk Aimee's character in Robert Altman's 1994 "Pret-a-porter" and even took a small role in the film herself; her honors were many, among them the Legion of Honor in 1996, designation as Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2012, and in 2013 being named Grand Commander of the National Order of Merit. Progressively ill with Parkinson's Disease since 1996, she kept working and in 2009 began marketing thru H&M. Her company eventually sold, she died of Parkinson's Disease. At her demise, her daughter Nathalie was in charge of the Sonia Rykiel label.