Laura Ashley

Laura Ashley was a British designer, born Laura Mountney in Wales in 1925. She became a household name on the strength of her work as a designer and manufacturer of a range of colourful fabrics for clothes and home furnishings, which were originally produced by her factory in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. Her husband, Sir Bernard Ashley, was also her business partner. She died in 1985, following a domestic fall. The business founded in her name continues to exist, though frequently reported as being on the verge of failure.