Sonja de Lennart (born May 21, 1920, in Prussia) is a fashion
designer who created the famous Capri Pants©™.
Sonja de Lennart was born into a multicultural family and is the
daughter of an industrialist and syndicus. Sonja de Lennart was
the most influential fashion designer after WWII. She influenced a
whole generation of new designers and was considered a leading
pioneer of her time. Sonja studied design despite her father's
extremely strong opposition. But, Sonja, headstrong from
childhood on, did something which was uncharacteristic at that
time; she secretly learned the skillful trade of tailoring. Hence,
after the political regime had destroyed the family fortune, it was
Sonja who, after WWII, would be the one to get the family back on
track with her talent.
Sonja opened her first store in 1945 which immediately became
the "in place" for those who wanted to forget that there ever was
such a horrible regime. Sonja became one of the most innovative
fashion designers of her time. Her famous "Capri Collection"©™®
[Capri Skirt, Capri Blouse, Capri Pants,©™ and Capri Hat] became
an instant hit. After years of women wearing the typical wide and
rather masculine pants, Sonja created the sexy, tight three-
quarter length [Capri] pants©™ with a short slit on the outside of
the pant leg. The original classic Capri Pants©™ were designed in
specific lengths for winter and summer wear.
Major movie companies and prominent opera directors and
costume designers as well as many famous people from all over
the world traveled to Europe just to profit from Sonja's golden
hands and creativity. Among those were major movie stars like
Ingrid Bergman; Gary Cooper and Maria Schell; Curd Juergens
and Claus Kinski as well as nobles like the Countess of
Stauffenberg; the Woolworth heir, Sunny von Buelow; Princess
Auersperg and Queens such as Soraya, the wife of Shah Reza
Pahlevi, and many others. The famous Hollywood designer, Edith
Head, used Sonja de Lennart's creations for her movie, Roman
Holiday. . .from the revolutionary Capri Skirt to the high-neck
Capri Blouse and, of course, the Capri Belt. It was the same
fashion look that Sonja de Lennart's first model posed for in 1948.
Mady Rahl was one of the first model-actresses who posed for
Sonja de Lennart's fashionable Capri Pants©™ which she created
in 1948. Among the many major movie stars who wore the
fashionable Capri Pants©™ are: Audrey Hepburn, Kathrin
Hepburn, Gina Lollobrigida, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, and
Sophia Loren. There is almost no woman in this world who hasn't
worn at some time in her life Sonja de Lennart's Capri Pants.©™
Furthermore, Sonja de Lennart was also the first designer who
utilized the famous "Everglaze" textile from America which her
family from California sent to Sonja upon her request.
Subsequently, it developed into big business for the American
manufacturer. The material was then licensed to European
companies; as a result, foreign royalties accounted for more than
70 percent of the firm's total profits.
Sonja de Lennart was considered a leading pioneer of her time
[by major magazines] along with Yves Saint Laurent and Andre
Courreges.
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