PARIS, Oct 16 — As part of the Sonia Rykiel fashion house's 50th-anniversary celebrations, Julie de Libran — the creative director of the label, founded in May 1968 — has invited seven influential women to revisit the brand's signature sweater. Proceeds from the sale of these limited-edition creations go to the charity of their designers' choice.

First presented at the brand's anniversary fashion show, July 1, the "Generous Sweaters” project is a collection of sweaters — a garment synonymous with the Sonia Rykiel brand — designed by influential international women. Julie de Libran is joined in the line-up by Kirsten Dunst, Sofia Boutella, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kazuyo Sejima, Liya Kebede, Langley Fox and Sue-Jin Kang, who all revisited the sweater with their own personal inspirations and references.

The limited-edition collection will raise money for charities selected by each guest designer, including Le Refuge (Langley Fox), lemlem Foundation (Liya Kebede), La Maison des Femmes (Julie de Libran), Planned Parenthood (Kirsten Dunst) and Okaeri-Gohan Shokudo (Kazuyo Sejima).

The Sonia Rykiel creative director designed three black sweaters for different times of day, while Kirsten Dunst put her own spin on the Scandi-style sweater. Langley Fox paid tribute to the LGBT community with a rainbow sweater and Kristin Scott Thomas glammed-up traditional sailor stripes with cashmere and Lurex yarns.

The limited-edition collection goes on sale in Sonia Rykiel stores and online from mid-November. — AFP-Relaxnew