Career
She dropped out of school at the age of 16. Ashwell began a career in her native England as a wardrobe and prop stylist doing television commercials and photo shoots. Ashwell moved to the United States in the early 1980s, opening her first store in Santa Monica in 1989.
The name Rachel Ashwell, according to Huffington Post, has been synonymous with shabby chic for 20 years.
Ashwell started her home furnishings company and opened her first store in Santa Monica in 1989. Since she grew up going to flea markets, it was a natural for her to use them as a source.
She brought in her flea market finds to her shop for her customers and soon couldn"t keep them in stock. From 1999 to 2003, Ashwell hosted a television show, titled "Rachel Ashwell"s Shabby Chic," on East! and the Style Network.
The New York Times, on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in its annual trend roundup in 1992, recognised Ashwell"s company and her signature product, the slipcover, writing, "not the trim, well-fitting kind, but sloppy, wrinkled ones dubbed "Shabby Chic" by a California company of the same name."
In 2004, Ashwell purchased a home in Malibu Colony.
Oprah featured Ashwell on her website with a tour of Ashwell"s beach house. During an appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show on 1 January 2006, Oprah was quoted as saying, "Rachel Ashwell single-handedly turned shabby into chic and it caught on like wildfire!" In April 2010, Ashwell was one of 10 interior designers showcased on Oprah.com. When Ashwell"s home sold in July 2010 for $3.55 million, the Los Angeles Times covered the sale, describing Ashwell as "the creator of the Shabby Chic brand."
As reported in The New York Times early in 2009, after 20 years in business, Ashwell"s company filed bankruptcy, which caused her to re-evaluate.
The re-invented Shabby Chic Brands developed a new business model that expanded the line to include moderately-priced collections to be sold nationwide.
Rachel has been partnering with Target since 2006 with Simply Shabby Chic, a Target exclusive brand. By mid-2011, Shabby Chic Brands expanded further into the United Kingdom, pairing the House of Fraser to offer the "Shabby Chic at House of Fraser" product line.
Rachel Ashwell keeps a blog where she updates viewers on her inspiration and travels. Also, Rachel Ashwell bedding is available at national retail chains and outlets.
In 2011, Ashwell opened The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, a bed and breakfast in Round Top, Texas.