The Traditionalists

Laura Ashley was a hugely influential designer of clothes and fabrics. Just mentioning her name to most people conjures up images of a simpler, more wholesome Britain. Although she went on to launch a worldwide chain of outlets, Ashley was always referencing her humble beginnings in the countryside of mid Wales.

When the Laura Ashley label was launched in 1953, it was conceived as a backlash against the 'progress' of the fifties, and its introduction of modern, man made materials. The vision continued to harness a pastoral image of harmony, helping create a quintessentially British brand which allowed people to bring a little piece of the countryside into their wardrobe.

This aspirational dream for the city dweller begat a long line of followers, quick to capitalise on the country myth - British designer Cath Kidston and America's Ralph Lauren, for example. Ralph Lauren in particular have taken the essential elements of an idealised British countryside and incorporated it into a mythical image, resulting in imagery that bears more of a relationship to the American Dream than any pastoral scene in England.