Australian fashion retailer Review has launched a 13-piece collection in collaboration with UK brand Laura Ashley.
The collection was launched at Review online and in-store earlier this month.
It is the latest fashion venture for Laura Ashley in Australia and New Zealand since its parent company Gordon Brothers appointed IMG to expand the brand's fashion, home and lifestyle products across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, China, India and the Middle East.
Global advisory firm Gordon Brothers acquired Laura Ashley in 2020, after the brand entered administration in late 2018.
Review GM Clare Hurley said the brand was seeking a fashion partner in Australia, leading to the collaboration.
“Laura Ashley, whilst not having a presence in Australia for a number of years, still has a strong recall with Australian women,” Hurley said. “We knew that our customers would connect with the feminine and vintage aesthetic of the brand.”
The collaborative range is comprised of dresses in fabrications such as cotton sateens, cotton dobbies, and recycled crinkle georgettes.
“The shapes have beautiful nostalgic elements to them with vintage and feminine details such as ruffles, midi lengths and braided trims,” Hurley said. “The collection was designed with longevity in mind and although being released in June we wanted to provide styles our customer could see herself wearing into the spring months ahead.”
As part of the collaboration, Review designers worked with Laura Ashley in the United Kingdom. This involved going through their archives and selecting a range of prints to be interpreted into a collection of dresses.
“The prints that were selected came from a cross-section of vintage Laura Ashley wallpapers, bedding, and homewares,” Hurley said. “We worked with the team at Laura Ashley on what the base colours could look like and what types of shapes and fabrications would best suit each print.
“The Laura Ashley team were very involved in the design process as it was important for us as a team to lean on their experience and get their input into how some very iconic prints could be best brought to life.”
Hurley added the process took about six months.
“Working with the team at Laura Ashley was a pleasure; the only challenge was the time zone differences, so there was a lot of late-night video conferencing - but very worthwhile.”
For Review, Hurley said collaborations need to be considered and relevant to the core foundations of the brand.
“We think through what connection our customer will have with a potential partnership and whether the collaboration is authentic to the brand,” she said.
“We were very excited to launch a Barbie collaboration this week, which saw the team re-interpret some iconic mid-century Barbie looks to create a range of Review dresses which also included a small ‘mini me’ range of kidswear.
“The initial response from customers has honestly blown us away.”