Laura Ashley

Laura Mountney was born on September 7, 1925 in Wales. Wales is part of Great Britain and is bordered by England. Laura left school at 16 and in World War II, she served in the Women's Royal Naval Service. She met engineer Bernard Albert Ashley and they married in 1949. They have four children who are all involved in the Laura Ashley Company. Laura, a Welsh designer, is known for the delicate patterns and lovely pastels on her clothes, linens and household goods.

Laura started out designed napkins, table mats, and tea-towels. She began making head scarves in 1953. A famous movie star of the time was Audrey Hepburn. She appeared in a movie called Roman Holiday in 1953 wearing a scarf and scarves were suddenly a fashion must. Lucky for Laura she was making exactly what women wanted to buy and her business really took off. In 1966 she introduced her first dress. Her first shop opened in 1968 and by 1974 she had shops in Paris, France and San Francisco, California. Laura died much too soon in 1985. She was visiting her children in Great Britain when she accidentally fell down the stairs. She died ten days later on September 17, 1985. Laura Ashley is buried in Carno, Powys, Wales.

By Samantha & Asma, fourth grade, 2007