Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Gave a Rare Interview About Why They’re ‘Discreet People’

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen grew up in the spotlight, but that’s not what they want their adult lives to look like. In a new interview with i-D, the twins discussed their fashion line, The Row, and explain why they prefer staying private despite being former child stars.

“We were raised to be discreet people,” Mary-Kate Olsen explained in the interview. “I think that potentially that’s just our aesthetic, our design preference,” Ashley added about The Row’s modest style. “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 Olsen twins began their careers at nine months old when they landed the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House (they took turns playing Michelle because they were underage). The company Dualstar Entertainment Group was then created to develop projects starring Mary-Kate and Ashley in movies like Our Lips Are Sealed, It Takes Two, and Holiday in the Sun. When it comes to their fashion line, they were wary of having their names attached to it. 

“We didn’t want to be in front of it, we didn’t necessarily even want to let people know it was us,” Ashley continued. “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?”

Mary-Kate added that she and Ashley are “very much perfectionists.” She revealed, “I think the reason we do fashion is to constantly try to fix our imperfections. And you have next season to do that. But it’s also our job to find every imperfection in there to make sure that we’re constantly pushing ourselves and training our eyes and making sure everyone is served. Just evolving and learning.”