Have you heard of The Row? If you have – when did you come to know about this brand? Do you know who is behind it? What are your favorite pieces? So many questions come to my mind when I think about The Row. Let’s talk all things about The Row because lately, it’s all I think about.
Photo by Ethan James Green, a property of Wall Street Journal Magazine.
This blog post is everything related to The Row. Let’s deconstruct the brand.
It wasn’t too long ago when I realized who was behind the brand, The Row. I have always liked Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s styles, I vividly remember cutting pictures of them from beauty magazines as a teenager and creating inspiration boards. I was drawn by their ability to wear oversized and long pieces despite their petite frames and how they layered pieces from different fabrics and styles, creating a very curated look.
The Row did gain more popularity this year more than ever. More people know about The Row, who is behind the brand and the clothes they make. This surely has a lot to do with the current trend, The Row despite being anti-trend, checks the current high demand boxes – IYKYK, minimalism chic, luxury fabrics, women designing for women, and tiny logos. It also perhaps has to do with Phoebe Philo exiting Céline, and being able to fill that void.
We live in an era where every celebrity seems to have a make-up or skin care brand. Remember when every singer had their namesake perfume on the market? While it may be true that some celebrities are more involved in the production than others, the majority serve as the face of the brand. Victoria Beckham is probably the brand that comes to mind the most when I think about this. She is the face of her namesake brand.
The Row operates with a completely different scheme. It is said that Ashley and Mary-Kate did not want the public to associate the brand with them when they started. All efforts were made to not advertise the clothing with them. Perhaps the best strategy is to be seen wearing their clothes anytime anywhere – paparazzi photos of the sisters often show them fully dressed in clothes of their own collections.
There is a certain level of comfort in knowing who the designers are, that the creative director isn’t one to be replaced every decade or so driving the brand in a different direction. While we have seen Ashley and Mary-Kate’s style evolve over the years, the brand has maintained the same ethos, architecture inspired minimalism in luxurious material. The blend of different materials, in nature inspired colors. It’s a different kind of minimalism, setting it apart from other American and international minimalist brands. In 2018, the fashion industry was shook when it was announced that Phoebe Philo was leaving the house of Céline. With an independent label like the Row, these matters are not on the horizon.
The Olsens are the founders, designers and chief executives of The Row and they refer to their brand as a family-owned business in a recent interview. This gives a sense of consistency, with a meaningful loyalty on both parties, the brand and the consumer. Items are recreated and placed on the shelf season after season, with no regard to current trends.
Each piece feels like something your wardrobe was missing for so long and nothing could fill that void.
We all (perhaps) know the story of how The Row was born. It is named after Savile Row in London, credited for traditional tailoring for men and women. In 2006, the Olsens were on the quest to create a high-quality white t-shirt. After which, they launched a 6-piece collection and thereafter the brand grew to be as we know it today. They added shoes, bags and menswear.
In 2020, the brand faced financial difficulties in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and after Barneys, New York City’s prominent department store announced bankruptcy, owing The Row 3.7 million USD. Barneys was the first department store to stock The Row’s products, despite rarely carrying other celebrity brands.
The Row at 17 E 71st Street, New York, NY 10021
The Olsens gave a rare interview this year in November, it was published by Financial Times, appropriately entitled ‘The Very Stealthy Success of the Row’. Despite the interviewer asking the question about stealth wealth in the current times – the Olsens explain that luxurious fabrics and high-quality things is what they have done since the very beginning. That this is not a trend.
We see throughout the interview that the designers are focused on creating the perfect item, and re-creating it to perfection. In this day and age of consumerism and obsession with trends, I find this very refreshing.
Mary-Kate explains their frustration with still being called things like ‘The Twins’ or ‘The Olsen Twins’ when both are in their late thirties and designers of this distinguished brand – generating at least 250-300 million USD per year, winner of several CFDA fashion awards… ‘The Girls’?
They both discuss their obsessive approach to perfecting each piece, and their very hands-on approach in shaping them with ‘pins’ and ‘scissors’ in their hands.
My favorite line in the entire interview is ‘We’re students of this’ by Ashley Olsen – as the Olsens discuss how they started this company at the age of 18, with the two of them, relying on their hard work and learning how to run the design and business aspect of things in a very tough industry… Of course, they have great experience from previous collaborations and businesses but to be able to reach this level of expertise and success, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that they have this type of outlook and work ethic.
I think a big part of my love for the brand is seeing their level of involvement with the collections they put out, and of course – their exquisite taste. Their brick-and-mortar store in New York City is on the Upper East Side – they know where to be.
This is everything I wanted to share with you about The Row. What pieces do you own or want to add to your collection?
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading.
See you next week,
Girl on the Upper East Side
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