THE ROWMary-Kate and Ashley Oslen

By Emma Mc Glade and Lucy Norman

Mary-Kate & Ashley; Their StyleMary-Kate & Ashley Oslen were born on June 13th 1986, most commonly known in the 90s for their role in their TV show ‘Two of a Kind’. Their careers progressed and with this, they soon became style icons to many girls. This lead to a natural progression for them into the fashion industry becoming well-known fashion designers, producers and business women.

< Mary-Kate favors comfort when dressing, she is often seen wearing layers of baggy/oversized clothes.

Ashley’s style however is a little more classy and sophisticated, showing a fondness of blazers, A-line skirts and pantsuit bottoms, often accompanied with vintage clutches and oversized watches. >

Both sisters however are known for making a statement with both designer and vintage pieces.

What does their range offer?The twins have a shown a strong interest in fashion since their career which had lead to the launch of many clothing lines. A collaboration with Wal-Mart across North America saw the development of a clothing range for girls aged 4-14.

2007 saw the launch of Elizabeth and James, this is a contemporary collection inspired by their unique finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes.

Since then they have also released a women’s clothing line for J.C Penney, a mid-range department store in Texas, as well as a T-shirt line called Style Mint.

THE ROW…Their more recent and most popular line was established in 2006. Named after London’s Savile Row, the line was established as a new couture label, supporting a both clean and classic collection of clothing that epitomizes quiet luxury, supporting a sophisticated yet elegant clothing line.

Since the line was launched, the brand has expanded to include a range of ready to wear garments, eyewear, jewelry and more recently in 2011, handbags. Their collection has a sense of relaxation and elegance that focus’ on fabrics ad pastel colors.

Who Might Buy it and Why?

Due to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen starting out their career at a young age they have held onto their fans as they continued their career. Therefore when they launched their clothing brand THE ROW their long-term fan base were amazed at their talent and supported them in every piece of clothing that came out.

As we have discovered the clothing line would sit comfortably in the higher end of fashion design, this will influence their customer base. The brand is extremely sophisticated which may suggest that it would have a following of those with a high disposable income, possible young professionals who are extremely fashion conscious. Garments range from £300 to £5000, which suggests that it would be highly unlikely that average wageworkers would be able to buy the garments.

Trickle down, Trickle across or Bubble up influenced?

This brand would probably be best suited in the trickle across theory. This theory suggests that the brand trickles across a certain social group. The Row is a sophisticated bran that appeals to a certain customer, there is not much room for an individual to interpret the brand in a distinctively different way as to what the designers have wanted it to be portrayed. However, as previously stated, Mary – Kate and Ashley have been influenced by their own wardrobes suggesting that the brand has also been influenced by the trickle down theory as they have gathered some inspiration for other designers, possibly with a higher status.

The brand is often seen on celebrities such as Anne Hathaway, who was seen wearing a garment from the 2013 Resort collection on the red carpet.

How do we rate it?

Having researched into the brand and the intentions of the designers, a mutual decision has been made. We feel that the intentions of the designers are met in the brand and displayed through the garments designed. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have many clothing lines that appeal to a variety of social demographics, from Wal-Mart brands to a range in JC Penny, which all lead up to the quality and success of their most recent range which offers couture fashion, ready to wear fashion and accessorize.

The Row is a brand that competes well with other existing brands and provides the fashion industry with its own individual touch, offering comfort and elegance to women.