Sonia Rykiel appoints new artistic director Geraldo da Conceicao, who currently works at Louis Vuitton, will start his new job at French label Sonia Rykiel next month. Sonia Rykiel has appointed Geraldo da Conceicao as artistic director. Da Conceicao will leave his current position as design director for women's ready-to-wear at Louis Vuitton next month and is expected to show his first collection for Rykiel next February. He replaces April Crichton, a Central Saint Martins graduate who was named creative director last September. READ: Sonia Rykiel on living with Parkinson's disease The Sonia Rykiel show that was scheduled to take place on September 28 at Paris Fashion Week has been cancelled and instead the spring/summer 2013 will be shown to press and buyers in the brand's Paris showroom. "We are opening a new chapter for the company," Jean-Marc Loubier, chairman at Rykiel and president of Fung Brands, said in an interview. We are sure [da Conceicao] will be able to take the Rykiel woman and make her international. Canadian national da Conceicao has previously held prominent design positions at Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent, where he worked under Alber Elbaz, Tom Ford and later Stefano Pilati. His appointment follows a recent change in ownership and management of Rykiel. In February, Fung Brands Ltd. acquired 80 per cent of the Rykiel business, leaving the founding family with a 20 per cent stake.