Designer

My color is black. And black, if it's worn right, is a scandal.

I have the impression that the women around me are like me - smaller, taller, fatter, thinner - but in fact, we are all the same.

I never played a part in the feminist movement - it touches me, but I am not a militant.

It's useless to send models out on the runway to cry.

My view is that you have to deal with who you are. It's hard work, in a way, but somebody has to do it.

Knowing yourself, and learning to love yourself as you are, is the beginning of beauty. I think the most important thing is to show off what's most beautiful about you and to hide what's less beautiful.

My favourite feature is my hair. It has always made me look different. It was so red when I was born that my mother thought I had blood on my head. When I was a teenager, I looked like a tomboy, but then I understood that I could be a woman who was an intelligent mix between a lady and my mannish side.

My first conversation of the day is with my daughter, Nathalie. I call her every morning; it is a ritual.

I hate the word 'feminine!' I mean, there is a woman and a man, and when I say 'woman,' it suggests all that is radiant, tender, fascinating, gentle, demoniac, exaggerated! 'Feminine' makes me think of somebody who is spindly and over-sweet - I don't like that!

I invented a sweater so small, so close to the body, that Women's Wear Daily nicknamed it 'The Poor Boy Sweater' and consecrated me queen of knitwear.

When I started in fashion, for the first 10 years, I said to myself every day, 'I'm going to quit tomorrow.'

It's important to keep on keeping on, to feel good about yourself and be happy with who you are.

My mother knitted a lot, but I never did; it was no fun.

I became the world's queen of sweaters without even knowing how one was made.

Fashion should be a kind of bouillon de culture.

I wanted a maternity dress, but I couldn't find anything I liked. Everything was abominable. So I made one. Then I made a pullover. 'Elle' put it on the cover. Then WWD elected me the Queen of Knitwear.

Everything I do is really an expression of myself, through colors and shapes and, at the same time, I try to explain what I feel not only as a creator but also as a woman. I cannot separate one from the other.

I want women to learn to find themselves.

I hate wasting time getting dressed. I like to put something on and just think, 'Yes. That's it.'

The Rykiel woman? She doesn't have time to stop time. She's too busy running. In her hands she's carrying a tote, a baby, a book, a camera.