French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel has died at the age of 86, a statement from President Francois Hollande's office says.
Hollande's office praised her as "a pioneer'' who "offered women freedom of movement.''
His office didn't provide further details, and the Sonia Rykiel fashion house in Paris wouldn't immediately comment.
For the generation of women who came of age in the heady 1960s and `70s, Rykiel, with her hallmark bright orange hair, came to symbolise the new era of freedom.
She also penned several novels _ including one about a dress and its various incarnations and figured in director Robert Altman's satirical 1994 look at the fashion industry, Pret-a-Porter.
Share
