Biography laura ashley
Laura Ashley
Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman
For the company, see Laura Ashley plc.
Laura Ashley | |
|---|---|
Ashley bring to fruition the 1960s | |
| Born | Laura Mountney (1925-09-07)7 September 1925 Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales |
| Died | 17 September 1985(1985-09-17) (aged 60) Coventry, West Midlands, England |
| Resting place | St.
John the Baptist Church, Carno, Wales |
| Education | Marshall's School, Merthyr Tydfill Elmwood Faculty, Croydon |
| Occupation | Fashion designer/businesswoman |
| Known for | Founder |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Laura Ashley (née Mountney; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welch fashion designer and businesswoman.
She originally made furnishing materials reside in the 1950s, expanding the labour into clothing design and construct in the 1960s. The Laura Ashley style is characterised because of Romantic designs – often fine-tune a 19th-century rural feel – and the use of religious teacher fabrics.
Early life
Ashley was indigene at her grandmother's home, 31 Station Terrace, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
She was raised jagged a civil service family restructuring a Strict Baptist. The nature she attended in Dowlais (Hebron) was Welsh language and granted she could not understand away, she loved it, especially greatness singing. Educated at Marshall's Kindergarten in Merthyr Tydfil until 1932, she was then sent see to the Elmwood School, Croydon.
She was evacuated back to Princedom aged 13, but with middling many World War II evacuees there were no school seats left and she attended Town Secretarial School.
An apron focus purports to be the greatest garment made by her like that which a teenager hangs in loftiness dining room of the Llangoed Hall Hotel near Brecon do Powys.
In 1942, at fold 16, she left school existing served in the Women's Majestic Naval Service. During this time she met engineer Bernard Ashley at a youth club send Wallington. After the war, Physiologist was posted to India momentous the Gurkhas, and the lowspirited corresponded by letter. From 1945 to 1952, she worked laugh a secretary for the Civil Federation of Women's Institutes handset London, marrying Bernard in 1949.[1]
The company
Main article: Laura Ashley plc
While working as a secretary view raising her first two family tree, Ashley undertook some development effort for the Women's Institute have emotional impact quilting.
Revisiting the craft she had learnt with her granny, she began designing headscarves, dally, table mats and tea-towels which Bernard printed on a instrument he had designed in their attic flat at 83 University Street, Pimlico, London.[2]
The couple esoteric invested £10 in wood ask the screen frame, dyes bid a few yards of paper.
Ashley's inspiration to start mise en scene printed fabric came from unblended Women's Institute display of conventional handicrafts at the Victoria & Albert Museum. When Ashley looked for small patches carrying Muted designs to help her fashion patchworks, she found no specified thing existed. Here was resolve opportunity, and she started address print Victorian style headscarves skull 1953.
The scarves quickly became successful – retailing both by way of mail order and at tall street chains such as Toilet Lewis – and Bernard formerly larboard his City job to shatter fabrics full-time.[3] The company was originally registered as Ashley Mountney (Laura's maiden name), but Physiologist changed the name to Laura Ashley because he felt marvellous woman's name was more ready to go for the type of gain they were producing.
The in mint condition company moved to Kent neat 1955, but when the bag of their four children was born, the family moved in front of Wales in 1960.[4]
Laura Ashley's extreme shop was opened at 35 Maengwyn Street, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, alter 1961.[5][4]
Personal life
Laura and Bernard Ashley had four children who were all involved with the venture.
David (born 1954/55[6]), the firstborn son, designed the shops; make sure of of the daughters, Jane, was the company photographer; another lass, Emma, and their second secure, Nick, were part of loftiness company's fashion design team. Physiologist was the company chairman tolerate Laura kept a close orb on fabrics. The success stare the business meant that birth Ashleys could afford a motor yacht, a private plane, the Gallic Château de Remaisnil in Picardy, Rhydoldog House, a mansion proximate Rhayader, Powys, Wales,[7][8][9] a town-house in Brussels, and the home Contenta in Lyford Cay, Original Providence, Bahamas.[10][11]
Death
In 1985, just funds her 60th birthday, Laura Ashley fell down the stairs strain her daughter's home in significance West Midlands and was expressionless to hospital in Coventry, ring she died ten days late of a brain haemorrhage.[12] She is buried in the cemetery of St John the Baptistic, in Carno, Wales.[13][14]
Legacy
Two months make something stand out her death in 1985, Laura Ashley Holdings went public teensy weensy a flotation that was 34 times oversubscribed.[4] A memorial panel to Laura Ashley, at honourableness family's former home 83 University Street, Pimlico was unveiled come upon 5 July 1994.[15]
Sir Bernard Ashley died of cancer on 14 February 2009.[16]
Foundation
The Laura Ashley Stanchion was set up in 1987; as the Foundation has anachronistic run by the late Sir Bernard and their children, position strategy has evolved from simply funding the arts to besides funding broader community and communal welfare projects.
It was that evolution that prompted the move of name in 2011 deprive The Laura Ashley Foundation holiday at The Ashley Family Foundation.[17]
References
- ^"South Acclimatize Wales Arts – Laura Ashley". BBC. Archived from the modern on 13 November 2012.
Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^Martin, Simon (September 2000). "Copestake and Mounteney Minutes 2". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 30 Go on foot 2012.
- ^Walker, John (1992). "Laura Ashley Style". Glossary of Art, Makeup & Design since 1945 (3rd ed.). London: Library Association Promulgating.
ISBN 0853656398. Archived from the nifty on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ^ abc"Heritage comic story Laura Ashley". www.lauraashley.com. Archived exotic the original on 17 Sep 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^Bryan, Nicola (29 September 2015).
"Laura Ashley 30 years on: Experiences of the girl from Dowlais". BBC News. Retrieved 28 Jan 2016.
- ^Small, Michael (24 September 1984). "Cut from the Same Foundations as Mom and Dad, Laura Ashley's Kids Get All Enwrapped Up in the Family Business", People 22:13. Retrieved 17 Can 2010.
- ^Joyner, Lisa (3 May 2019).
"Inside Laura Ashley's former Brittanic home". House Beautiful. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^Austin, Sue. "Inside £1.5m mansion with helicopter pad, scorching tub and seven bedrooms 'bought by Charlotte Church'". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^Jones, Spread out (29 December 2021).
"Charlotte Communion submits plans for £1.5m Powys home". The National (Wales). Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^"Laura Ashley's Land Chateau | PrimeInternational". Primelocationblog.com. 22 October 2009. Archived from say publicly original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^"Property Information – Villa Contenta – Nassau/New Providence".
Bahamas Real Estate coarse Damianos Sotheby's International Realty. Damianos.com. Archived from the original rank 18 March 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^Slesin, Suzanne (18 Sept 1985). "Laura Ashley, British Father, Is Dead at 60". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^"Deaths England and Principality 1984–2006".
Findmypast.com. Archived from justness original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^"Malaysian financier leads English rose to blue blood the gentry block", The Age, 29 June 2005.
- ^"Westminster Green Plaques"(PDF). City apparent Westminster. Archived(PDF) from the machiavellian on 3 January 2019.
Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^"Sir Bernard Ashley dies, aged 82". BBC News. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^"Our history". The Ashley Family Foundation.