Over the last few weeks I have rekindled my love for Laura Ashley. I have been firing facts I have learned about Laura at everyone and about how she built up her business, from printing tea towels in the kitchen of her small flat to an international retail empire. I have begun reading the biography 'A Life By Design' by Anne Sebba, which gives us an insight into the woman behind the brand. 
I didn't know until recently that neither Laura nor her husband Bernard were originally designers. Before her children were born Laura was a secretary in the handicrafts department at the headquarters of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, where she fitted right in, indulging her love of knitting and dressmaking at every opportunity. It was joked that the WI woman was Laura's alter ego, she regularly attended courses and workshops and her eyes were opened to the art of patch work by an exhibition at the V&A. It was around this time that her husband Bernard (who worked for the Investment trust) got on board and together they built their 1st silk screen so Laura could print fabrics for her quilts. In the early days it was really Bernard who learnt all about printing and eagerly put it into practice producing simple, graphic head scarfs and table mats. The scarfs became such a success because of the subsequent release of the film "Roman Holiday", which sported chic Italian girls wearing head scarfs with style. Laura took their wares to John Lewis on Oxford street who agreed to stock them. Within hours they had sold out. This was the beginning of the Laura Ashley story!
After this Laura took a back seat to bring up their young children and Bernard built up the printing business. A point that I found particularly interesting was that when Bernard began printing Victorian inspired tea towels he thought that this domestic product should have a woman's signature on it. "Thus was his fate sealed. On some of the towels a printed copy of Laura Ashley's signature even formed part of the design." The Laura Ashley brand was born!
The process of how a normal woman called Laura became "Laura Ashley" the brand and global chain that defined a generation, is really informative when doing research for my Design In the Market Module. For my make believe business plan I intend to set up a textiles brand along the same lines Laura Ashley and more recently Cath Kidston. They both epitomise their business, personify their product and have created a lifestyle. I think creating a lifestyle to aspire to as well as a unique product is a lot to do with their success. Also a canny knowledge of trend forecasting and sticking to their niche and unique selling point, something that I need to establish so as not to become just another chintzy textile brand. I need something new, unique and brave. This is what Laura Ashley wanted to achieve and did achieve when she began her journey in 1953!
