Swedish clothing chain H&M has signed French fashion veteran Sonia Rykiel to design a range of lingerie and related accessories, to be launched in December.

A second collaboration for next spring will include knitwear aimed at young women and girls aged 18 months to 8, and also include a range of accessories.

The lingerie collection will be launched in 1,500 H&M stores worldwide as well as major Sonia Rykiel boutiques.

Sonia Rykiel president and artistic director Nathalie Rykiel said: “It is a hallmark of Sonia Rykiel to think of all women, because fashion is about a certain spirit more than a question of means. This collaboration fits perfectly with our philosophy.”

Sonia Rykiel opened her first boutique on the Rue de Grenelle in Paris in the spring of 1968, a time of social upheaval that led to what the designer describes as “la demode” (“unfashionable”) style.

Her black clothes feature inside-out stitching, lace, strass, colourful stripes - and the knitted sweaters that have become her hallmark.