Threads of Influence

Laura Ashley was born in South Wales 100 years ago. With her husband Bernard, she went on to build one of Britain’s best-known brands with an empire that stretched from home textiles and fashion to furniture and hospitality experiences. Now the company is once more ripe for reinvention.

This year, RAL COLOURS celebrates its 100th birthday. Here Markus Frentrop, Global Head, speaks to Tamsin Kingswell about the brand’s rich heritage and future plans.

Lorenza Luti of Kartell discusses past legacies and future plans for this cult Italian lifestyle brand.

Disregarding the vagaries of fashion, Fornasetti has always stayed true to the core values of its brand; decoration, illusion and conjuring a world of joyful fantasy. Here, Barnaba Fornasetti talks to Tamsin Kingswell.

Drawing on Punk, surrealism, Dada and religious art, Linder Sterling celebrates 50 years as an artist with a major retrospective at the Hayward Gallery in London.

Starting as a joyful resistance to the staid colours of post-war Europe, Marimekko has continued to stay relevant by embracing both heritage and innovation.

In this new series we discover the people who inspire and inform colour directions. Here we look at painter John Singer Sargent.