Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen at NM Beverly Hills. (Michael Underwood/ABImages)
When you first meet Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, two things strike you immediately: they are more soft spoken and petite than you expected. Couple these with their unassuming manner and it’s easy to forget that they’ve been celebrities since they were 9 months old and starred on the hit TV show Full House. Dressed in head-to-toe black and sporting disheveled blond manes, they look more like a pair of art school co-eds – albeit very pretty ones in impeccably tailored pants.
But get the sisters talking about The Row, the luxury brand they created five years ago, and you quickly realize you’re in the presence of fashion titans who run a global empire estimated at $1.5 billion. As the world and tabloids watched, Mary Kate and Ashley transitioned from Hollywood child stars into articulate businesswomen who are redefining the American fashion industry. In fact, this year, the 26-year-old twins won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Womenswear Designer of the Year award, becoming the youngest designers to ever win the prestigious accolade.
The Row
Defined by minimalism and meticulous attention to tailoring, The Row has been compared to early Armani. Despite their world-wide reputation as trendsetters, the Olsens focus on creating pieces that are trendless, ageless and seasonless. The Row is all about classic basics that fit well, feel luxurious and blend seamlessly into any woman’s wardrobe. Even the labels inside the clothes are discrete and tiny.
Mary Kate and Ashley recently stopped by Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills to meet with customers one-on-one. Every season, they prefer to hold intimate sessions like these rather than splashy runway shows. Just another way that the Olsens are defying expectations and writing their own fashion rules.
The Row at NM Beverly Hills. (Michael Underwood/ABImages)
NM: Tailoring is a signature of The Row. Why is fit so important to you?
Ashley: Growing up, because we are very petite, we were always altering clothing. So tailoring is something we’ve always been very sensitive to.
NM: You’ve said The Row is influenced by the way men approach dressing. How so?
Ashley: Well, I think a blazer is definitely an essential piece of a woman’s wardrobe as is shirting and sweaters. So we focus on all these basic categories that you can interchange. Whether it’s a jacket or a pair of pants, we think of the way it fits a woman’s body…
Mary Kate: And the way it feels.
Ashley: Yes, and the way it feels. Those are the most important things.
The Row jacket exclusive to NM.
NM: What were your influences for Resort 2013?
Mary Kate: Resort that we just delivered…was this mix between California…this kind of Palm Springs and Big Sur vibe…combined with rain coat weather…
Ashley: Sorry, we are thinking back to three seasons ago and trying to keep the influences straight [both laugh]. Resort 2013 was focused on outwear.
Mary Kate: Even though it is Resort, it delivers in the dead of winter. So we wanted to have things that you can buy now and, at the same time, will still work for women closer to Spring.
Ashley: It’s always an interesting season to design for, because of that.
NM: You grew up in Southern California…
Mary Kate: Yes, we were born and raised here.
NM: Does that influence The Row?
Ashley: I think it’s there and it’s about having a more casual mentality. It’s a feeling of wanting to make pieces that are easy.
Mary Kate: When it came to using prints in this Resort collection, it’s there because we used palm trees. You can see it in the sweater on the back. [Gestures to Ashley to turn around and traces the design of the a palm tree with her finger in the sweater her sister is wearing.] And you’ll see some of the prints as well in the shirting. It was about asking ourselves: ‘How do we make a palm tree look like the most special palm tree ever?’ [laughing]
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