Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen took the entertainment industry by storm starting in 1987 when they starred on the ABC sitcom Full House. By the show’s end in 1995, the fraternal twins already solidified their A-list status in young Hollywood.
Viewers were able to watch the youngsters grow up before their very eyes. After Full House‘s finale, the California natives moved to the big screen where they starred in several beloved tween films. It Takes Two, Billboard Dad and Holiday in the Sun are just a few of their famed flicks.
Although the New York Minute stars stopped acting together after the 2004 film and officially announced they would be retiring from the stage and screen in 2012, they have since pivoted their talents to the fashion world. They made the “boho-chic” trend of the 2000s mainstream and opened their labels, The Row and Elizabeth and James.
In the early days of their careers, Mary-Kate and Ashley would often show up to events and red carpets wearing similar versions of the same look. As they got older, the two seemed to form their own sense of style and made sure the world knew they were each unique. Mary-Kate leaned toward darker colors while Ashley stayed true to whites and neutral shades.
Mary-Kate and Ashley’s influence on style transcended to the big leagues and they were named Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for The Row in 2012. They received the award in 2015 for the second time.
While the pair have kept their lives pretty private over the years, their careers are still iconic. The So Little Time actresses opened up about taking a step back from the spotlight in a rare interview with i-D magazine in June 2021.
They spoke about The Row‘s 15th anniversary and also explained that keeping their personal lives private is largely due to how they grew up.
“We were raised to be discreet people,” Mary-Kate said, referring to the brand’s low-key and classic style. “I think that potentially that’s just our aesthetic, our design preference,” Ashley chimed in.
Ashley continued, “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t also appreciate something truly ornate or maximal. Sometimes a collection even starts quite like that, and then gets pared down. It doesn’t always start from that simplistic place.”
The duo also shared why they didn’t want their names to be associated with their label. “We didn’t want to be in front of it. We didn’t necessarily even want to let people know it was us,” Ashley said. “It was really about the product, to the point where we were like, ‘Who could we get to front this so that we don’t have to?’”
Scroll through to see Mary-Kate and Ashley’s transformation over the years!
Source: InTouch
