Breaking into the upper echelons of the luxury fashion sphere is a feat that few new brands achieve. Dominated by heritage heavyweights – think Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton – it’s a world burnished by decades of prestige, and patronised by big-name film stars, aristocracy and royalty.
When then small screen teens, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, established The Row back in 2006, not only was this world as impenetrable as ever, but the “celebrities launching their own fashion brands” club wasn’t exactly an aspirational one. But 18 years later, this logo-less label, which last year made its official debut in The Lyst Index Top 20, rivals esteemed brands for desirability, with its sumptuous staples, lust-worthy accessories and exacting eye for detail.
In 2024, it was impossible to escape the notion of “quiet luxury”; it was a 12 month-period that saw Gwyneth Paltrow make headlines with her cashmere-clad court appearances and Succession fuel the public’s obsession with a particular brand of casual wealth with its deep dive into the wardrobes of the one per cent. So yes, you could argue that The Row has been very “on trend” – according to Lyst, searches for the brand increased by 93 per cent for Q1 2024, meanwhile the Margaux tote was declared the hottest product of the quarter, with searches spiking 198 per cent year-on-year – but as ever, both the brand, and the Olsens themselves, seem to be impervious to the trend cycle’s fluctuations.
Notable for their lack of social media presence, the Olsen sisters’ lives are shrouded in mystery, and their brief public appearances are always subject to much speculation (and sartorial dissection). In a world dominated by 24/7 social sharing and celebrity branding exercises, the Olsens’ apparent disinterest in the circus that surrounds them only makes them more fascinating. Therein, perhaps, lies the secret to The Row’s success: true luxury in the contemporary fashion market is not hype-driven or internet-breaking, but unassuming and slow, slipping (almost) under the radar. It’s clothing that speaks of an inner confidence. These are future fashion heirlooms in the making.
“Everything Mary-Kate and Ashley do turns to gold,” said Joe Karban, The Row’s production manager, now vice president of sourcing and production, to the The New York Times back in 2009. “The kids on the team are really passionate about making clothes. How do you set a proper sleeve? How does a fabric perform? It’s the art of making clothes as opposed to making everything cookie-cutter.”
From the perfect pair of trousers to those sellout accessories, scroll down to see and shop Vogue’s definitive The Row edit.
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