Laura Ashley (7 September 1925 - 17 September 1985) was a fashion designer and business woman from Wales. She began by making simple items out of her own printed cloth, but when her work became more popular she opened factories making clothes and furniture too. Ashley, along with her husband Bernard, set up a large business to sell her designs, with 219 across the world. The business faced difficult times in the 1990s, after Ashley's death, but there are still many Laura Ashley shops today, in Europe, Asia and Australia.