The return of Laura Ashley is depressing – these are the labels to try instead

As I look through flimsy skirts made from viscose and unremarkable sundresses that could be from any high street brand’s summer collection, I wonder what Laura Ashley (the woman) might have felt about Laura Ashley (the brand) being reinvented once again.

Next has just released its debut 47-piece Laura Ashley fashion collection, having announced its intention to work with Gordon Brothers – the investment business that acquired the label’s brand, archives and intellectual property when it went into liquidation in April 2020, almost four years ago.

The final result is something of a hit-and-miss range. There’s a smattering of beautiful designs, like the crisp blouses and a laid-back yet romantic backless maxi dress with a soupcon of sexiness, that capture a little of what Laura Ashley once epitomised. There are also quite a few examples of items that have been diluted so far from the original spirit of the label that they feel, frankly, sad and somewhat depressing.

When I attended the launch of this new collection, I could see the efforts that the team had gone to to capture the essence of what Laura Ashley – the queen of homespun British bohemia who started a fashion empire from her kitchen table in 1953 – once meant. “It’s a combination of prints, designs and textiles from the archive… interpreted to appeal to current fashion trends and silhouettes,” commented Helen Ashmore, Laura Ashley’s head of design. They spoke of visiting the archives in Cheshire and taking inspiration from original prints, but also of modernising Laura Ashley “to make sure that our heritage remains relevant to the woman of today”.

But like any version of Laura Ashley that has existed for the past few decades (and as I wrote when the company was in trouble in 2020), the reality is that the label is now a shadow of its former self. “Laura’s original ethos was independent and artisan,” says the designer Justine Tabak, who once worked at Laura Ashley and now runs her own eponymous label. “Even when it became an international operation, the company [which had 220 stores when Ashley died in 1985] still retained that spirit with a team of painters who made the prints and an atelier of craftsman pattern cutters and seamstresses.” Tabak calls this new iteration “tame”.

The new Laura Ashley collection may yet prove an alluring and affordable way (prices range from £26 to £85) for some women to tap into the bucolic “tradwife” look that is trending online this summer (and which never goes out of fashion thanks to its effortless, timeless and feminine appeal). But there are other brands out there with a more authentic essence, which I’d advise investing in over Laura Ashley’s re-hash.

“Pansy Garden, Justine Tabak, St Clair and O Pioneers all deliver a nod to the original Laura Ashley that feels authentically her while also delivering modern versions of what I’m sure Laura would love today,’ says Isabel Spearman, the founder of the Daily Dress Edit. Indeed, Pansy Garden offers vintage and vintage-inspired dresses that could be straight out of an old Laura Ashley catalogue, while O Pioneers, which creates whimsical Liberty print pieces, counts Sarah Jessica Parker as a super fan. “I had the prettiest frock for blocks” the actress recently wrote of her beloved O Pioneers patchwork skirt.

“My first job in retail after university was working on the shop floor of the Laura Ashley in Salisbury,” remembers Blaire Donald, the founder of St Clair, a label that debuted last summer and specialises in small runs of hand-smocked dresses crafted from organic cotton. “As a child of the 80s and 90s, I grew up on Laura Ashley. My mother was a huge fan – I inherited my love of dresses from her.”

Laura Ashley has been a key influence in establishing St Clair – Donald references “the world she created around the product. Laura Ashley campaigns managed to be contemporary and nostalgic and always so English in their aesthetic.” She also felt inspired by the brand when creating her own hand-painted prints: “I wanted to create a brand with modern signature floral prints inspired by a vintage influence, more in line with those heritage prints of Laura Ashley which I don’t think you see so much anymore.”

As two retail behemoths, how could Next and Gordon Brothers have navigated the re-launch differently? “I think it would have been a fantastic opportunity to get a new breed of smaller independent designers involved,” says Tabak. “Someone who is passionate about making in the UK with sustainable credentials and who loves the craft of fashion that coincidentally are all the things younger generations are focussed on now.

“I’m not sure that the appeal will translate to a more youthful corporation which ultimately is seen as middle of the road.”

The small labels delivering the Laura Ashley heart and soul now...

Justine Tabak

Gingham linen dress, £285

O Pioneers

Grace dress, £430

St Clair London

Rita spring posy dress, £310