Audrey Hepburn, the actress, co starring alongside Gregory Peck in the hit movie, Roman Holiday and wearing a Laura Ashley head scarf created an instant fashion hit and brought the attention of the public to the designs of  Laura Ashley. 

Working at her kitchen table with a screen printing frame built by her husband, Bernard, a few dyes and linen fabric in her upstairs flat in the Pimlico section of London the Laura Ashley company began from very humble beginnings.  Laura had been to the Victoria and Albert Museum and was inspired to make a patch work of the Victorian designs she had seen there but found that none existed.  Laura designed the prints she was unable to purchase and thus began what was to become a brand known the world over.  She and her husband, Bernard, had a working partnership that lasted until her untimely death at age 60 in 1985, after a fall down a flight of stairs. 

The Laura Ashley name has become synonymous with fabric design and home decor.  She most often uses florals in clear colors as a basis for her fabric designs, combining them with plaids or stripes to create a unique but coordinated look.  

Laura Ashley designs are classic and contemporary at the same time .  The name evokes quality, creativity, timelessness, and individuality.    The Laura Ashley customer is a sophisticated woman of 30+, $50,000 plus income bracket, educated and well-traveled, home oriented, has an active social life, enjoys the arts including films and the theatre.

Laura Ashley is the second most recognized lifestyle brand in the United States after Martha Stewart.  Today you can purchase Laura Ashley products from home furnishings to apparel for women and children.  Fashion Bedding, Fabrics, Paint, Rugs, Flooring, Wicker and Rattan Furniture, Hardwood Furniture, Paint, Wallpaper, and Fashion Accessories are just of few of the products of the Ashley brand today. 

We don't want to push our ideas onto our customers, we simply want to make what they want....Laura Ashley 

From a humble kitchen table to world renowned fame she remains the doyenne of  fabric design.

I hope you found Laura's story as interesting as I did.  I am fond of her home fashions and textiles and use them in my home decor.  I love the timelessness of her designs, the clear true colors and the quality of the coordinating fabrics and accessories.