Laura Ashley Australia enters voluntary administration

HOME furnishing company Laura Ashley Australia has entered voluntary administration, but it will continue trading as normal for now.

Laura Ashley

FASHION and home furnishing company Laura Ashley Australia has entered voluntary administration, but the company will continue trading for the time being.

FTI Consulting’s Quentin Olde, Ross Blakely and John Park have been appointed as administrators of the company.

The company’s 38 stores will continue to operate as normal while the administrators assess the books and outlets.

“It is the administrators’ intention to continue to trade business as usual while an urgent assessment of the company’s financial position is conducted,” a statement from FTI said. The company’s four stores in NZ are not affected.

Laura Ashley Australia has been operating in Australia since 1971.

The appointment of administrators only applies to Australian stores.

Laura Ashley was formed in 1953 when Laura and Bernard Ashley started printing fabric on their kitchen table in London after going to a Women’s Institute exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum on traditional handicrafts, according to its website.

Laura was inspired to make her own patchwork quilts, but couldn’t find any suitable fabrics in the shops, so she and her husband decided to try producing their own.

At first they produced small squares with geometric patterns in their tiny flat.

When the couple went on a holiday to Italy in 1952, the film Roman Holiday was released, and Audrey Hepburn’s headscarves became an instant fashion trend that inspired them.

They began producing small scarves themselves, and started selling them in large quantities to shops including John Lewis and Heal’s.

The couple then went on to make tea towels and placemats, with designs from Victorian advertisements and playbills. From here the Laura Ashley empire was born.