What was it about Laura Ashley's clothes that appealed to you?

There was always something different about Laura Ashley's clothes. A lot of clothes these days can easily go out of shape, but Laura Ashley's clothes don't. They're really good quality clothes.

When did your interest in Laura Ashley's clothes begin?

I saw photographs of Laura Ashley's dresses in magazines and I just had to have one. I remember buying this dress because I thought it was a little different and I wanted to stand out on stage. Some people mentioned that the pattern looked like the Welsh dragon.

How did Laura Ashley's clothes fit in with your image on stage?

It was something that was popular at that time and I wanted to be in fashion. I would sing sweet songs like Plasir D'amour and the dresses suited those songs, my voice and guitar down to a tee. Also, I didn't want to wear anything short as I thought my legs looked a bit odd popping out of the bottom of the guitar, so it was nice to have something that was quite laid back and a bit love and peace.

Laura Ashley's designs were inspired by images and patterns from the Victorian era, but she was also inspired by the Welsh countryside wasn't she?

I think that she wanted to escape, escape from places like Dowlais and Merthyr, and the industrial south. I like nature and I think that she was also a big fan of nature. She wanted to create something that wasn't there, something feminine. She bought floral patterns back into fashion and she obviously liked the shape of a woman's body. Laura Ashley also used to put leg of mutton sleeves on everything, and that's one of the reasons that I'm such a big fan, it would give you a more flattering figure. I bought a jumper from Laura Ashley recently and it still has the leg of mutton sleeve on it! It just makes you look more stylish!

When Bernard and Laura Ashley started creating their own material, their main products were aprons and head scarves.

I remember my mum wearing a scarf on her head because her hair was so big, and she didn't want the wind to ruin it.

Laura's earlier work was much more geometrical than her later creations and she experimented with different shapes like this shift dress.

The shift dress was very popular in the 60s. I remember my mum making me one in brown, it was horrible, but that was the style at the time. Another unique thing about Laura Ashley's clothes was the label. Every garment had 'made in Wales' on it's label and at the time I felt it was important for me to wear something from Wales.

By the 70s, punk had taken over, but what did you wear to perform?

After love and peace came the punk era which of course meant that music also changed into rock music. You couldn't exactly sing rock in a Laura Ashley dress! But I do love Laura Ashley's clothes; they're a part of my history. I'll never get rid of her dresses, but unfortunately I can't fit into the ones I have anymore!