Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sat down for a rare interview to discuss their fashion brand, The Row, which turns 15 this year. The former actresses also touched upon their decision to retire from the public eye and how they found fulfillment in the fashion industry.
“We were raised to be discreet people,” Mary-Kate told i-D magazine on Monday, who also warned that, because of their low-key lifestyle, they are “bit out of practice” when it comes to interviews.
The twins, now 35, largely steered away from discussing their life prior to launching The Row, but did discuss why neither wanted to be the face of their clothing brand.
“We really didn’t want to be in front of it. We didn’t necessarily even want to let people know it was us, in a way,” admitted Ashley. “I think, to this day, you’ll see we really put the product first.”
“We’re not chasing anything, we’re just being really honest with who we are and where we are with the brand,” added Mary-Kate.
The two launched The Row when they were teenagers, with Ashley explaining, “We were 18 years old and I think what we did know was that we wanted to take that time to take a break from what we were previously doing and to explore things that interested us, and explore what life has to offer.”
“We wanted to explore making something of ourselves,” the fashion mogul added.
The twins attest they found fulfillment in switching careers and are looking ahead to the future.
“I think it’s been really important for us to stay in control and to do things at a time that feels right,” said Ashley. “And I think that’s an interesting balance.”
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