Editing Laura Ashley (section)

==The company==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2019}}
{{main|Laura Ashley plc}}
[[File:1970s Laura Ashley dresses 07.jpg|thumb|350px|1970s printed cotton dresses by Laura Ashley exhibited at the [[Fashion Museum, Bath]], in 2013]]
While working as a secretary and raising her first two children, Ashley undertook some development work for the Women's Institute on quilting. Revisiting the craft she had learnt with her grandmother, she began designing headscarves, napkins, table mats and tea-towels which Bernard printed on a machine he had designed in their attic flat at 83 Cambridge Street, [[Pimlico]], London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~copestake/newsltr2.htm |title=Copestake and Mounteney Newsletter 2|last1=Martin|first1=Simon |publisher=Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com |date=September 2000 |access-date=30 March 2012}}</ref>

The couple had invested £10 in wood for the screen frame, dyes and a few yards of linen. Ashley's inspiration to start producing printed fabric came from a [[Women's Institute]] display of traditional handicrafts at the [[Victoria & Albert Museum]]. When Ashley looked for small patches carrying Victorian designs to help her make patchworks, she found no such thing existed. Here was an opportunity, and she started to print Victorian style headscarves in 1953.

The scarves quickly became successful – retailing both via [[mail order]] and at high street chains such as [[John Lewis (department store)|John Lewis]] – and Bernard left his [[City of London|City]] job to print fabrics full-time.<ref>Walker, John (1992). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110914011010/http://www.artdesigncafe.com/Laura-Ashley-style-1992 "Laura Ashley Style"]. ''Glossary of Art, Architecture & Design since 1945'' (3rd ed.). London: Library Association Publishing. {{ISBN|0853656398}}. Archived from [http://www.artdesigncafe.com/Laura-Ashley-style-1992 the original] on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2012.</ref> The company was originally registered as Ashley Mountney (Laura's maiden name), but Bernard changed the name to Laura Ashley because he felt a woman's name was more appropriate for the type of products they were producing. The new company moved to [[Kent]] in 1955, but when the third of their four children was born, the family moved to [[Wales]] in 1960.<ref name="heritage">{{Cite web|title = Heritage at Laura Ashley|url = http://www.lauraashley.com/uk/about-laura-ashley/heritage/page/heritage|website = www.lauraashley.com|access-date = 28 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180917132152/http://www.lauraashley.com/uk/about-laura-ashley/heritage/page/heritage|archive-date = 17 September 2018|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

Laura Ashley's first shop was opened at 35 Maengwyn Street, [[Machynlleth]], Montgomeryshire, in 1961.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Laura Ashley 30 years on: Memories of the girl from Dowlais|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-34290383|website = BBC News|date=29 September 2015|access-date = 28 January 2016|first = Nicola|last = Bryan}}</ref> 
<ref name="heritage"/>