Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been in the public eye since they were 1-year-old starring on Full House. They later leveraged their undeniable star power to create a curated fashion house, offering womenswear, menswear, children’s, and fragrances with their brands Elizabeth and James and The Row. With the twins celebrating their 36th birthday on June 13, The Row is also celebrating a milestone with its 16th anniversary.
Stemming from the simplistic idea of creating the perfect T-shirt, the Olsen sisters were still attending New York University when they began to build the brand. Ashley once told WWD, “It was something we just wanted for ourselves,” she said. “It wasn’t something that I thought would ever be a business.”
Naming the brand after Savile Row, the iconic menswear strip in London, known for its traditional bespoke tailoring, the Olsens wanted The Row to be able to stand on its own, without their famous name, and let the garments speak for themselves. “We really didn’t want to be in front of it,” Ashley told i-D last year. “We didn’t necessarily even want to let people know it was us, in a way. I mean, it was one of those things where it was really about the product, to the point where we’re like, ‘Who could we get to kind of front this so we don’t have to?’ I think, to this day, you’ll see we really put the product first.”
Creating a seven-piece collection consisting of the T-shirt, black leather leggings, blazers, cashmere tank dresses, and other wardrobe staples, the now-defunct Barneys New York bought out the entire debut assortment in 2006. Before the legendary department store closed in early 2020, The Row was the number one best selling ready-to-wear label, beating out age-old venerable houses.
Holding their first runway show at New York Fashion Week in 2010, the twins have learned a lot since their start with the brand. Mary-Kate told i-D, “You roll with the punches. You have to be flexible. It’s helpful and important to work with a team you don’t have to micromanage. You know what to expect from them. They know how to work with you. Everything is aligned. Because putting on a presentation is a lot of work. It’s hard, it’s emotional, it’s time consuming, but when it’s finished and it’s great, you have that moment – it’s maybe 30 seconds or a minute long – but you remember that moment.”
With countless diffusion lines, and their contemporary line Elizabeth and James (named after their siblings), Mary-Kate and Ashley have conjured a recipe, combining their haute bohemian mentality with exquisite fabrications and minimalist silhouettes, carving out their very own space in the market, outlasting many a typical celebrity line.
Garnering five prestigious CFDA Awards, the Olsens have taken home two awards for Womenswear Designer of The Year in 2012 and 2015, and three trophies for Accessories Designer of the Year in 2014, 2018, and 2019.
Growing and evolving with the founders, The Row is now known for its understated luxury. Its classic artisanal aesthetic and streamline, pristine tailoring have carried the brand for the last 16 years. With minimal advertising, the label remains as discreet as the Olsens, who have chosen to forego social media or a public-facing lifestyle. Growing up as the mega-famous Mary-Kate and Ashley, and 16 years helming The Row, the Olsen twins have retreated to a space of quiet, hard work. And clearly, it’s paid off.
