Laura Ashley – which is celebrating its 70th anniversary year – has partnered with vintage clothing brand, Joanie, on a new capsule collection.
The heritage brand provided Joanie with unrivalled access to its archive to inspire the 29-piece collection, which includes dresses, shirts, jumpsuits, jackets and accessories.
Utilising classic prints from Ffion Blackberry to Peacock Damask, and Victorian-Edwardian silhouettes, the range captures Laura Ashley’s signature romantic aesthetic and features velvet party frocks, floral prairie dresses and Edwardian-inspired high-neck blouses.
The collection – which continues Laura Ashley’s licensing expansion into fashion – aims to celebrate styles from the past, while offering a fresh take on new fabrics and inclusive sizing.
“As our fashion licensing operation grows, we’ve been focusing on partners that share our brand values,” commented Carolyn D’Angelo, senior md at Gordon Brothers Brands and president at Laura Ashley Global. “Joanie has been a true collaborator with this range, and utilised every corner of our archive to design a collection that faithfully celebrates our history.
“These pieces have broad appeal, from younger consumers looking for retro gems to true brand fans seeking Laura Ashley’s iconic styles. We look forward to engaging new customers, across every generation, through this partnership.”
Lucy Gledhill, Joanie brand director, continued: “As a child of the eighties, Laura Ashley has been in my wardrobe and all on my bedroom walls for as long as I can remember. While most kids pored through the Argos catalogue, the seasonal Laura Ashley Book was my Bible.
“It’s been such a lovely project to work on with the team here at Joanie. We’ve dusted off the old catalogues, pieced together photos of fabulous vintage frocks and frilly blouses, and paired them with prints from the Laura Ashley archive to create this capsule of classic cottagecore, modern heirloom pieces and pretty prairies dresses, all with a hint of whimsy and the history that only comes from working with a heritage brand like Laura Ashley.”
Lucy continued: “We’ve picked our favourite styles from the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties and given them a fresh start in organic cotton with inclusive sizing – and we’ve used up all the offcuts to make the accessories.”
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