Early Days(1950 - 1970)
Following their early experiments, Ashley Mountney Ltd was born, joining Laura’s maiden name with their married name, but soon it was decided that the name of the company should be changed to Laura Ashley, to reflect better the products they were making.
The Ashleys moved from London to rural Kent in 1955, allowing more space to print and develop the company, but the whole operation was nearly wiped out in 1958, when the river Derwent overflowed and flooded the house, ruining printing equipment, fabrics and dyes. By now the Ashley family had grown to include three of the couple’s four children, but times were hard, as every spare penny was ploughed back into the business. This was reflected in the number of products which had started to be produced under the Laura Ashley name, including oven gloves, aprons and gardening smocks, and by 1960, turnover had grown from £2,000 to £8,000.
1961 saw a significant and long lasting event for the company, when the family moved again, this time to Wales, where Laura was born, and from where she had many happy childhood memories. They initially set up in the vacant social club in Carno, Mongomeryshire, but moved in 1967 to the local railway station, which had been closed two years earlier. Here, the company set its foundations and grew with the development of Bernard Ashley’s first flat bed printing machine which could produce 5,000 metres of fabric per week, and the production in 1966 of their first dress produced for social, rather than work attire.
Laura’s love of all things Victorian led to the long length silhouette and feminine styles which would become the company’s trademark and was right on trend at the end of the 1960’s, as fashion switched from the mini to the maxi.
