A bit further than a stone’s throw…

The May 1968 events in France refers to the volatile, two-month period of civil unrest throughout France punctuated by demonstrations, major general strikes, and occupations of universities and factories. At its height, the events brought the economy of France almost to a halt. The protests reached such a point that political leaders feared civil war or revolution; the national government itself briefly ceased to function after President Charles de Gaulle secretly fled France for a few hours. The protests spurred an artistic movement, with songs, imaginative graffiti, posters, and slogans. (more below)

Half a century after student protests gripped the Left Bank of the French capital, a crowd was drawn to the Sonia Rykiel store to celebrate a new handbag, the Pavé, or cobblestone, meant as a playful nod to an era when angry protesters lobbed the stones at riot police.

Sonia Rykiel pavé bag May 2018

That period of rebellion also gave birth to the label, still famous decades later for its striped and colorful knitwear.

And dievca finally found something to buy honoring her age. It took a year :

Sonia Rykiel red pavé bag – ShopBop on sale

Continued.

The social unrest began with a series of student occupation protests against capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism, and traditional institutions, values, and order. It then spread to factories with strikes involving 11 million workers, more than 22% of the total population of France at the time, for two continuous weeks. The movement was characterized by its spontaneous and decentralized wildcat disposition; this created contrast and sometimes even conflict between itself and the establishment, trade unions and workers’ parties. It was the largest general strike ever attempted in France, and the first nationwide wildcat general strike.

“May 68” affected French society for decades afterward. It is considered to this day as a cultural, social and moral turning point in the history of the country. As Alain Geismar—one of the leaders of the time—later pointed out, the movement succeeded “as a social revolution, not as a political one”.

Thank you to Wikipedia, WWD, French Vogue