Editing Laura Ashley

{{Short description|Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman (1925–1985)}}{{for|the company|Laura Ashley plc}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox person
 | name             = Laura Ashley
 | image            = File:Laura Ashley portrait.jpg
 | caption          = Ashley in the 1960s
 | birth_name       = Laura Mountney
 | birth_date       = {{Birth date|1925|9|7|df=y}}
 | birth_place      = [[Dowlais]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]], Wales
 | death_date       = {{Death date and age|1985|9|17|1925|9|7|df=y}}
 | death_place      = [[Coventry]], West Midlands, England
 | resting_place    = St. John the Baptist Church, [[Carno]], Wales
 | education        = {{nowrap|Marshall's School, Merthyr Tydfill<br />Elmwood School, [[Croydon]]}}
 | known_for        = Founder
 | occupation       = Fashion designer/businesswoman
 | spouse           = {{marriage|[[Bernard Ashley (businessman)|Bernard Ashley]]|1949<!--|17 September 1985|end=her death-->}}
| children          = 4
|}}

'''Laura Ashley''' (née '''Mountney'''; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s, expanding the business into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s. The Laura Ashley style is characterised by [[Romanticism|Romantic]] designs – often with a 19th-century rural feel – and the use of natural fabrics.

==Early life==
Ashley was born at her grandmother's home, 31 Station Terrace, [[Dowlais]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]], Wales. She was raised in a civil service family as a [[Strict Baptist]]. The chapel she attended in Dowlais (Hebron) was [[Welsh language]] and although she could not understand it, she loved it, especially the singing. Educated at Marshall's School in Merthyr Tydfil until 1932, she was then sent to the Elmwood School, [[Croydon]]. She was evacuated back to Wales aged 13, but with so many World War II evacuees there were no school places left and she attended [[Aberdare]] Secretarial School.

An apron that purports to be the first garment made by her when a teenager hangs in the dining room of the Llangoed Hall Hotel near [[Brecon]] in [[Powys]].

In 1942, at age 16, she left school and served in the [[Women's Royal Naval Service]]. During this period she met engineer [[Bernard Ashley (businessman)|Bernard Ashley]] at a youth club in [[Wallington, London|Wallington]]. After the war, Bernard was posted to India with the [[Brigade of Gurkhas|Gurkhas]], and the pair corresponded by letter. From 1945 to 1952, she worked as a secretary for the [[Women's Institutes (British)|National Federation of Women's Institutes]] in London, marrying Bernard in 1949.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/arts/laura_ashley.shtml |title=South East Wales Arts – Laura Ashley |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113212238/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/arts/laura_ashley.shtml |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

==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"/>

==Personal life==
Laura and Bernard Ashley had four children who were all involved with the business. David (born 1954/55<ref>Small, Michael (24 September 1984). [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088733,00.html "Cut from the Same Cloth as Mom and Dad, Laura Ashley's Kids Get All Wrapped Up in the Family Business"], ''People'' 22:13. Retrieved 17 May 2010.</ref>), the eldest son, designed the shops; one of the daughters, Jane, was the company photographer; another daughter, Emma, and their second son, Nick, were part of the company's fashion design team. Bernard was the company chairman and Laura kept a close eye on fabrics. The success of the business meant that the Ashleys could afford a yacht, a private plane, the French [[Château de Remaisnil]] in Picardy, [[Rhydoldog House]], a mansion near [[Rhayader]], [[Powys]], [[Wales]],<ref name="housebeautiful/a27330585">{{cite news |last1=Joyner |first1=Lisa |title=Inside Laura Ashley's former Welsh home |url=https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a27330585/laura-ashley-house-for-sale-wales/ |access-date=13 October 2022 |work=[[House Beautiful]] |date=3 May 2019}}</ref><ref name="shropshirestar/singer-bought-ashley">{{cite news |last1=Austin |first1=Sue |title=Inside £1.5m mansion with helicopter pad, hot tub and seven bedrooms 'bought by Charlotte Church' |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/mid-wales/2021/03/22/singer-said-to-have-bought-the-former-home-of-the-laura-ashley-family/ |access-date=13 October 2022 |work=[[Shropshire Star]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="thenational.wales/19812490">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Matt |title=Charlotte Church submits plans for £1.5m Powys home |url=https://www.thenational.wales/news/19812490.charlotte-church-submits-planning-rhydoldog-house-powys/ |access-date=13 October 2022 |work=[[The National (Wales)]] |date=2021-12-29 |language=en}}</ref> a town-house in Brussels, and the villa ''Contenta'' in [[Lyford Cay]], New Providence, Bahamas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.primelocationblog.com/international/laura-ashleys-french-chateau |title=Laura Ashley's French Chateau &#124; PrimeInternational |publisher=Primelocationblog.com |date=22 October 2009 |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426211113/http://www.primelocationblog.com/international/laura-ashleys-french-chateau |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.damianos.com/Listings/ListingDetail.ASPX?LID=10415308 |title=Property Details – Villa Contenta – Nassau/New Providence |website=Bahamas Real Estate by Damianos Sotheby's International Realty|publisher=Damianos.com |access-date=30 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060318111505/http://www.damianos.com/Listings/ListingDetail.ASPX?LID=10415308 |archive-date=18 March 2006 }}</ref>

===Death===
In 1985, just after her 60th birthday, Laura Ashley fell down the stairs of her daughter's home in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] and was taken to hospital in [[Coventry]], where she died ten days later of a [[Stroke|brain haemorrhage]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/18/world/laura-ashley-british-designer-is-dead-at-60.html|title=Laura Ashley, British Designer, Is Dead at 60 |work=The New York Times|access-date=8 December 2018|last1=Slesin|first1=Suzanne|date=18 September 1985}}</ref> She is buried in the churchyard of St John the Baptist, in [[Carno]], Wales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006|publisher=Findmypast.com|access-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831050858/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|archive-date=31 August 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/comment--analysis/malaysian-magnate-leads-english-rose-to-the-block/2005/06/28/1119724630756.html "Malaysian magnate leads English rose to the block"], ''[[The Age]]'', 29 June 2005.</ref>

==Legacy==
Two months after her death in 1985, Laura Ashley Holdings went public in a flotation that was 34 times oversubscribed.<ref name="heritage"/> A memorial plaque to Laura Ashley, at the family's former home 83 Cambridge Street, Pimlico was unveiled on 5 July 1994.<ref>{{cite web |title=Westminster Green Plaques |url=https://www.westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/green_plaque_full_list.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103210312/https://www.westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/green_plaque_full_list.pdf |archive-date=2019-01-03 |url-status=live |website=City of Westminster |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

Sir Bernard Ashley died of cancer on 14 February 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7892521.stm|title=Sir Bernard Ashley dies, aged 82|work=BBC News|date=16 February 2009|access-date=30 March 2012}}</ref>

==Foundation==
The Laura Ashley Foundation was set up in 1987; as the Foundation has been run by the late Sir Bernard and their children, the strategy has evolved from purely funding the arts to also funding broader community and social welfare projects. It was this evolution that prompted the change of name in 2011 from The Laura Ashley Foundation to The Ashley Family Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ashleyfamilyfoundation.org.uk/our-history|title=Our history|website=The Ashley Family Foundation}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.lauraashley.com/ Laura Ashley company]
*[http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/lauraashley/Entry in the FMD] Ashley's entry in the Fashion Model Directory
*[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp14615 National gallery] portraits

{{Textile designers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Laura}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in England]]
[[Category:People from Dowlais]]
[[Category:British textile designers]]
[[Category:20th-century British designers]]
[[Category:20th-century Welsh businesspeople]]
[[Category:Welsh fashion designers]]
[[Category:British women company founders]]
[[Category:20th-century Welsh businesswomen]]
[[Category:British women fashion designers]]

[[Category:21st-century Welsh businesspeople]]
[[Category:British fashion designers]]