Ask a roomful of British women which brand makes them nostalgic for their youth, and you can bet a good number will say Laura Ashley. There is something about the romantic prints and dreamy homespun cuts – not to mention the ditsy floral bedspreads so many of us slept under – that conjures up a different era. An era when the soon-to-be Princess of Wales would make headlines for wearing an accidentally see-through Laura Ashley skirt, and young girls would covet pale-pink rose-print dresses to wear to church on Easter Sunday.

It is somewhat ironic then, that such a quintessentially English label is now being run by something as serious sounding as an American restructuring and investment firm – and that this week the firm in question, Gordon Brothers, announced the relaunch of Laura Ashley’s fashion collections. 

Of all the brands that fell into administration in 2020, it was Laura Ashley which really tugged at the heartstrings. After years of lacklustre designs, profit warnings and uncertainty, the once iconic British label finally succumbed as the pandemic hit and was eventually bought by Gordon Brothers. The 2020 deal, which led to the closure of all 70 Laura Ashley stores, saw the company refocus on homeware in the UK while launching a collaboration with Next that sold some (largely forgettable) nightwear and childrenswear.

The demise of the fashion collection was badly timed, given the 2020 “Cottagecore” trend that saw Gen Z hunting through their mothers’ cupboards for Laura Ashley designs – often as the fiftysomething mums in question looked on in baffled amusement. 

“My teenage daughter is a fan and loves the charming simplicity of the original prints,” says fashion designer Justine Tabak, who worked at Laura Ashley. “I think younger women have embraced the sheer romanticism of the brand. Of course, each generation does their own thing with a Laura Ashley look. I love how my daughter wears the dresses more casually now with trainers – Laura would have approved.”