Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen & Their Luxury Brand The Row

Fashion Icons: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were born in 1986 and fame came calling at a very early age. Their first acting role was at just nine months old in an American TV show called Full House. The twins shared the part and went on to play various other major roles in films and TV throughout their childhood and teen years. The child prodigies proved that two is better than one, becoming millionaires by the time they were just 10 years old.  

At the age of 18 years old in 2004, Mary Kate and Ashley became Co-Presidents of their company Dualstar which gave them huge financial success with the merchandising of products inspired by their shows. A genius streak of entrepreneurship led to Forbes sitting the couple as the 11th richest women in entertainment in 2007 with an estimated wealth of $100 million.

We take a look back on how Mary Kate and Ashley went from adorable childhood actresses to becoming fashion’s most influential twins.

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen grew up understanding the power of the image. Always appearing in identical or contrasting cute outfits as children, often with matching hairstyles, they had input into Fashion at an early age as they helped to create ranges for young girls for Walmart at just 14 years old.  They boldly insisted that their suppliers give their workers maternity leave – establishing their business values from the start. 

It was in the mid-noughties that the Olsen Twins became even more interested in Fashion and the Fashion industry started to take more interest in them. The Boho Chic that they sported was starting to have an impact and influence. Reminiscent of Sienna Miller in the nineties Olsen’s version was more updated.

Aviator glasses were teamed with oversized sweaters, long flowing skirts and boots. Like most icons, they put their own spin on the look and owned it, not afraid of experimenting with the high and low ends of the market. Their individual mixing of fabric textures and silhouettes caught the eye of all the established magazine editors.

In 2006 they were snapped up by Badgley Mischka to feature in the advertising campaign for their glamorous vintage-style gowns. Looking identical with those mesmerising piercing green eyes and long flowing blond locks, the 2 snow queens of Norwegian descent were about to take the fashion world by storm further.

Their style initially was very eclectic and eccentric at times. In 2009 they both attended a tribute to Tim Burton at The Museum of Modern Art wearing leopard print and black coats, a hat and Hermes Kelly Bags. Their boho glam style has progressed at times into a vintage goth look, but always with interesting mixes of opulent fabrics.

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As they have matured their style has become more paired back. Their label, The Row, a nod to Saville Row in London, launched in 2006 has gone from strength to strength. Now seen as an established luxury brand from New York, it reflects the slightly older personalities of the Olsen twins who believe in wearing the label themselves. 

They have a distinct understanding of Scandinavian simplicity with an edge to the design which exudes effortless, relaxed luxury. The clothes are understated, and minimalist with a twist but never boring.  The mono dressing is a favourite and often the Olsen will adorn themselves in all black or all white for high impact. The twins have appeared at several Met Galas with matching and contrasting sleek mono outfits teamed with an accessory that offers a striking splash of colour.

The quietly confident styling has a cult following and adorns a lot of the front row celebrities such as Zoe Kravitz and Margot Robbie and Meghan Markel has also been seen stepping out on a regular basis in the brand’s super elegant black turtle necks and camel trench coats. 

Accessories of the brand are a favourite with Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lawrence and Hailey Beiber. Just a handful of the big-named female stars have a lot of self-belief and conviction in pursuing what they want in life which speaks a lot for the brand’s target audience and usually sets the media off on a frenzied pursuit of predicting the label as the elusive under a hyped brand that is preferred by the Fashion and art crowd is anything but obvious making it all the more desirable for those who want to be in vogue.

The Row’s product ranges have extended to ready-to-wear, sunglasses, handbags and footwear. It is now stocked internationally and there are 2 stand-alone stores in New York and Los Angeles. The price tags are up there with the likes of Céline, one handbag famously being priced at over $20,000. A more ‘affordable’ backpack in the range can be bought for over $2000’s. A typical shirt will set you back over $600’s

In 2022 we saw the offering from The Row expand to 3 times that of a year ago allowing for experimentation. Reds and blues with hand-painted prints were added to the normal classic black, white and neutral trademark palette. The collections held true to the ethos of the brand, not slavishly following trends that don’t communicate their values. No body-con or midriff pieces to be seen, rather an entourage of roomy pieces in paper like luxury fabrics in sculptured shapes and cuts which make for statement silhouettes.

In recognition of all their hard work, the Olsens have also received several awards for their fashion achievements in womenswear and accessories from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) firmly giving them Fashion accolades.

They rarely use their celebrity status to further their fashion brand, instead letting the product and the designs speak for themselves. The twins are intensely private and don’t engage in social media which makes them all the more intriguing. 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are icons and they know how to experiment with Fashion. With their brand they have shown the Fashion world that they know how to use expensive fabrics and design them into exquisitely simplified shapes.

The Olsen’s fashion line is a welcomed freshness ‘less is more attitude of the quietly confident brand with its price tags reflecting elusive luxury for the successful consumer that is bold enough to experiment with shape and texture and of course attract admiring curiosity. Something the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen mastered at a very early age.