Laura Ashley style and decoration

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Laura Ashley

Laura Ashley design

Laura Ashley was born Laura Mountney in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales(Great Britain), in 1925. She and husband Bernard began printing textiles in 1953. Laura's flair for combining a homely vision with old fashioned patterns and ideas soon emerged as a distinctive global style. Later she extended her designs to womens fashion.
Laura Ashley designer kitchen

They opened their first shop in Kensington, London(UK) in 1967 and by the time of her tragic death in 1985, the company owned factories in Europe and America, and over 200 shops worldwide.
Laura met and married Bernard Ashley in 1949. They set up their business, part-time from their kitchen table in Pimlico, London(UK) designing scarves; selling them by mail order and through outlets in department stores. Laura Ashley fashion has somewhat fallen out of favour in recent years but still retains a large following of devoted admirers.
They originally named the company Ashley Mountney but they decided that Laura Ashley was more pertinent to the type of design they favoured, being strongly feminine influenced. Her designs were described as a reaction against the sexist 1960's.
The first shop under the Laura Ashley name was opened in Kensington, London(UK), in Pelham Street in 1968. Success spread rapidly worldwide.
The Laura Ashley style encompassed the complete package; from interior design, fabrics, wallpaper, paints to clothes and jewellery. The Laura Ashley brand remains world famous and will be with us for many years to come.