Laura Ashley Labels: History and How to Date Them
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Laura Ashley was a British company that moved from printed furnishing fabrics into clothing in the 1960s and became famous for romantic, old-fashioned floral dresses. Its first true dresses date from 1966 and the company kept trading for decades, so a Laura Ashley label covers a long span.
Company history
The Vintage Fashion Guild (VFG) records that Laura Ashley (1925 to 1985) and her husband Bernard started Ashley-Mountney Ltd in 1953 as a small home screenprinting business making scarves and kitchen textiles. In 1961 they moved the business to Carno, Wales, by which time they were also making aprons and gardening smocks under the Laura Ashley name. The first true Laura Ashley dresses were made in 1966, in the company's own prints, often modern versions of antique designs. By the 1970s there were stores across the UK and Europe, and the first US store opened in San Francisco in 1974. Laura Ashley died in 1985; by then the designs were closer to mainstream fashion. The North American stores later closed.
Label timeline
| Label or clue | Approximate dates | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley-Mountney Ltd | From 1953 | Scarves and kitchen textiles, not dresses |
| Laura Ashley aprons and smocks | By 1961 | Before the dresses |
| Laura Ashley dresses | From 1966 | The revival-style dresses collectors know |
| US stores | From 1974 | A US-sold piece is 1974 or later |
What it helps date
- Our 1970s hub lists Laura Ashley with Gunne Sax among romantic revival dresses.
- Revival dresses are genuine vintage from their own decade, not antiques: reproduction vs antique, Gunne Sax.
- Care and fibre labels help place later pieces: care labels.
Sources
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Guides that mention Laura Ashley
- 1970s Vintage Clothing: How to Date and Value ItDate and value 1970s clothing: hippie, prairie, disco and designer-jeans looks, polyester and Qiana, care labels from 1972, and 2026 price ranges.
Related
- Gunne Sax Labels: History and How to Date ThemDate a Gunne Sax dress by its label: the 1969 black labels, "Gunne Sax by Jessica", later prom-era tags, and what early prairie dresses sell for in 2026.
- Dating Vintage Clothing by the Care LabelHow US, Canadian and European care labels date a garment: the 1971 FTC rule, the 1983 rewrite, 1997 symbols, and the clues that fool people.
- Reproduction vs Antique Clothing: How to TellUse fibres, fasteners, seam finishes, labels and silhouette to tell a real Victorian or Edwardian garment from a costume, revival dress or reproduction.
- ACWA Union Labels: History and How to Date ThemDate men's suits, coats and shirts by the ACWA union label: the first label of 1916, the 1949 design with and without the registered mark, and ACTWU.