LAURA ASHLEY by Anne Sebba – A Life in Design AUTHOR of The WEEK with Josephine Pembroke

What do you think of when the name Laura Ashley is mentioned? Green shops with no character making bland cloths and safe furniture in muted colours all very safe and corporate. Laura Ashley’s vision was very different from the retailing conglomerate we know now. Laura Ashley had a vision: Go back home and create hand made cotton clothes dyed with natural colours and made up in her own factory in rural wales. She gave jobs to the community especially women who were encouraged to leave early and collect the children from school. Laura’s pattern cutter was an ex sheep shearer, what better person to do this exacting work. Laura loved families, beauty and hankered for the past. She actually was a girl from suburbia who had been a Wren during the war. Tragically she died in 1984. Hear the whole story passionately told by author Anne Sebba who is the only person to have written an authorised biography of Laura. annesebba.com Love this? Sign up to our once a week GORGEOUS MAIL at radiogorgeous.com/