Laura Ashley is set to revive its floral collections

Cult fashion brand Laura Ashley is set to be revived after its new owner stuck a deal with an events company which will allow it to license its archives to retailers. 

The brand, which grew to prominence in the 1980s after its floral prints became favourites of the fashion set including Princess Diana, is now cashing in on the cottage core trend which grew to prominence since lockdown. 

But the fashion-to-furnishings British retailer, which started life on Laura Ashley’s kitchen table in 1953, was the pandemic’s first high-profile casualty when it collapsed after failing to secure rescue funds, forcing the closure in July 2020 of all 123 UK stores, its Welsh factory and its website, costing more than 1,600 jobs.

But the brand was rescued by Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring and investment firm, which has invested in restoring the brand to its former glory, including launching a collaboration with Next. 

Laura Ashley are cashing in on the cottage core trend with floral prints and dressing gowns in their new range

The restructuring firm have now signed a deal with IMG, a sports and entertainment management company.  

They are set to create new ranges of clothes and shoes as well as homeware as well as hospitality events through retail partnerships and collaborations. 

‘For almost 70 years, Laura Ashley’s iconic, quality-led designs, prints and patterns have continued to inspire the most coveted styles and fashion trends around the world,’ Tim Smith, vice-president at IMG, told the Times.

‘We are eager to leverage this rich heritage and the Laura Ashley archive, comprising more than 98,000 pieces of unique artwork, textiles and footage, to develop relevant new fashion and lifestyle products for existing and new fans of the brand.’ 

Its once beloved floral frocks and flowing dresses have recently been worn by the likes of Kate Garraway and Holly Willoughby despite the brand’s dramatic fall in popularity over the past decades. 

The brand was rescued by Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring and investment firm, which has invested in restoring the brand to its former glory, including launching a collaboration with Next. A Laura Ashely model is pictrured

The restructuring firm have now signed a deal with IMG, a sports and entertainment management company. A Laura Ashley model is pictured 

The fashion-to-furnishings British retailer, which started life on Laura Ashley’s kitchen table in 1953, was the pandemic’s first high-profile casualty when it collapsed after failing to secure rescue funds. Holly Willoughby (left) and Kate Garraway (right) are pictured in Laura Ashley

Welsh designer Laura Ashley started out by sewing headscarves and napkins on her kitchen table in Pimlico, London in 1953. 

Having gained quilting experience with her local Women’s Institute, she would make garments while her husband Bernard printed them and they would take mail orders and sell to High Street retailers such as John Lewis. 

The business moved to Kent and then her native Wales in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the brand established itself and gained momentum.  

Princess Diana seen wearing Laura Ashley in 1980 as she worked as a nursery school assistant at the Young England Kindergarten in Pimlico

Pictured: Princess Diana wears a blue and green floral Laura Ashley gown as she watches Prince Charles play polo at Tidworth in 1981

The royal was also seen visiting the Laura Ashley factory in Newtown, Wales in June 1988 

Princess Diana is pictured wearing Laura Ashley in Pimlico, south London 

The business moved to Kent and then her in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the brand established itself and gained momentum. A Laura Ashley shop in London is pictured

They opened their first shop under the name Laura Ashley in Pelham Street, South Kensington, in 1968.

The brand did well on the High Street throughout the 1970s, bringing French chic and luxurious soft and hard furnishings into people’s homes.

It gained international acclaim when shops opened in Paris and San Francisco in 1974.

Its signature flowing, floral dress became a staple of the late 1970s and matched the hippy movement perfectly.

Last year, Laura Ashley announced a limited-edition collaboration with a New York-based designer Batsheva Hay, who has produced a range of smocked and tiered dresses that draws on the retailer’s archival prints and line drawings. 

Actresses Pamela Harlow and Heidi Banks were sighted at a Laura Ashley clothing store in Beverly Hills, California in 1984 (left, right: Jane Sturdy and Billy Livingston model for the brand)

But as a family business, famed for being ‘quintessentially English’, the style became more conservative, particularly when royalty came on board. 

It wasn’t until the 1980s, when Princess Diana threw her support behind the designer, that enjoyed dizzying success.

Diana was often seen in her dresses and unwittingly shut down production once after she wore a £50 granddad collar gown to a photo call, with staff unable to cope with demand. 

But after the ‘Diana effect’ died down and as time has gone on with fast fashion dominating the landscape, the brand has had to rely increasingly on its homeware to make money.

Last year, Laura Ashley announced a limited-edition collaboration with a New York-based designer Batsheva Hay, who has produced a range of smocked and tiered dresses that draws on the retailer’s archival prints and line drawings.