Powysland pays tribute to Ashley

The exhibition includes people's memories of working for Laura Ashley .

The life and work of one of the of the fashion world's giants is being celebrated by Powysland Museum.

The exhibition, Laura Ashley: A Welsh Icon, is featured at the Welshpool-based museum until 24 November.

On display are photographs, documents, artefacts and clothes kindly lent to the museum by the Laura Ashley Archives.

Also on show are several private collectors' exhibits, who contacted the museum during the last three years.

Opening hours Monday: 11am-1pm and 2-5pm Tuesday: 11am-1pm and 2-5pm Wednesday: Closed Thursday: 11am-1pm and 2-5pm Friday: 11am-1pm and 2-5pm Saturday: 11am-1pm Sunday: Closed

The exhibition is is the final part of a three-year project on the fashion designer hosted by the three Powys County Council museums in Montgomeryshire.

The project started in 2007 with the exhibition, Laura Ashley: Welsh Beginnings, at Llanidloes Museum which described the start of the company and its move to Carno in mid Wales and the establishment of one of the first Laura Ashley shops in Llanidloes.

In 2008 the project moved to Newtown Textile Museum with the exhibition, Laura Ashley: Designs, Patterns and Motifs, which focused on the company's iconography.

During the exhibition period interviews of former employees of the Laura Ashley Company have been added to the general text as a result of people having agreed to tell their memories of working for the company for the exhibition.

The interviews were carried out by Colin Rodgers, a local historian from Welshpool and have been funded by CyMAL (Museums Archives Libraries Wales) and the Welsh Assembly Government.