Laura Ashley has made a return to fashion with a 47-piece spring collection launching this month online and with NEXT.
Drawing on the brand’s signature vintage prints and influenced by its archive from the fifties and sixties, the collection includes dresses, blouses, trousers, shorts and skirts in sizes 6-22 with classic patterns such as Salterbeck Posy, Linaria, Wild Cherry and Camelot all featuring.
The return to the category of fashion follows the acquisition of the Laura Ashley brand by Gordon Brothers in 2020. As part of that deal Gordon Brothers acquired Laura Ashley’s vast archive, featuring 98,000 pieces.
Following the acquisition the brand signed an agreement with NEXT to launch homewares across its stores and a further deal was struck with licensing giant IMG to expand homewares globally and to make a return to the fashion category.
This new collection has been produced in partnership with Laura Ashley and NEXT and was facilitated by IMG, which acts as its licensing representative for fashion in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand & Asia.
Carolyn D’Angelo, Senior Managing Director, Gordon Brothers Brands and President of Laura Ashley Global said of the launch: “Fashion has always been a key pillar for the Laura Ashley brand, so it’s a huge moment for the business that we’re introducing this new collection.
“The range will cement our position as a leading global lifestyle brand and help us reach new customers across the UK.”
Prices for the new range run from £26-£85 and it will be available at lauraashley.com and next.co.uk.
Known for its Victorian-inspired designs the return of Laura Ashley to fashion comes as demand for vintage fashion is on the rise. The brand was created by the designer of the same name in 1953, when Ashley began creating headscarves to sell mail order from her home in London, using a machine designed by her husband Bernard.
The Ashleys opened their first store in 1961 in Machynlleth, Wales after the family had moved there from London. It also opened a factory in Wales in the 1960s. The first store to bear the Laura Ashley name above the door was opened in 1968 in South Kensington.
In the 1970s the brand became hugely popular and expanded into homewares and fragrances and moved into international markets. Laura Ashley died in 1985 following a fall that led to a brain haemorrhage.
The business experienced mixed fortunes in the 90s and was acquired by MUI Asia Limited in 1998, having fallen into administration. By the time it fell into administration again in 2020, it was no longer a fashion brand, beyond select collaborations, but was focused on its homewares business. New owner Gordon Brothers pledged to return it to the category upon which the brand built its international reputation and has done so with this new collection.
