Jennifer Lopez’s outfit yesterday gave me an opportunity to post about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s The Row. Because for all this talk of quiet luxury this year, they’re the ones who can claim that they’ve been quiet luxury… since the very beginning, in 2006. Seriously, Mary-Kate and Ashley’s brand has been around for almost 20 years. And last week The Row made headlines for its billion dollar valuation and new investors. The Puck’s Lauren Sherman had a really good piece a few days ago about The Row’s most recent round of financing, which was apparently a year in the making, and what that might mean for its future.
Up to this point, obviously, Mary-Kate and Ashley have executed their business plan perfectly, and all the way to Paris. As Lauren Sherman writes in her article:
“I can’t begin to properly explain how tough it is to be taken seriously as an American brand in Paris—at Fashion Week; by industry insiders; on the shop floor of Le Bon Marché. The industry is consolidated there, and history matters. And yet, the Olsens have burnished their upper-echelon status in Paris by relocating their runway show and a significant chunk of their operations there. Their new shop in the city will include a café, their first real lifestyle play.”
“Their first real lifestyle play” is what’s most interesting here to me. Because the quiet luxury success of The Row is in part due to the Olsen’s refusing to jump on every trend – at their fashion shows, there’s a no social media policy, which means that people can’t brag about being at the presentation by posting videos and photos of themselves, and that means that the looks don’t make it onto TikTok or Instagram… which is what so many other brands rely on these days.
As Vogue noted last February, that might be the ultimate quiet luxury flex– not showing it off – and it’s representative of how Mary-Kate and Ashley have always moved. They are the least thirsty celebrities, they really and simply don’t crave the attention. And in the process they built a billion dollar brand.
But also…when all this money is coming in from investors, they’re expecting a return. And that means scale. Can The Row maintain its exclusivity and adhere to its quiet luxury spirit without compromise? They’re now looking to open more stores, and will focus, of course, in Asia, where so much of the luxury industry is making its money these days. Also… per Lauren Sherman:
“The question now, as one smart investor recently put it, is whether The Row can surpass $1 billion in sales WITHOUT being a logo business. “Fundamentally, there’s a limit to how big a brand with no visible branding codes can get,” the investor reminded me. The best comp is Armani, although that company relies on its lower-end lines to drive sales.”
I can’t see Mary-Kate and Ashley slapping logos on anything. The Row’s Instagram account barely has any clothes! So how do they scale without logos and that kind of mass manufacturing? I’m not doubting them, because they should not be underestimated. Their strict adherence to their style principles turned The Row into what it is. I’m just so curious, and excited, to see how they apply those principles to exponential growth.
Now, back to JLo who’s dressing for fall. And fall is probably the season of quiet luxury, right? Sweaters, layers, trousers – this is the quiet luxury version of JLo: monochrome taupy grey turtleneck and pleated and cuffed pants, neutral heels, a matching Birkin, and her hair tied back into a clean mid-knot. She looks great. And expensive. And … available? It’s been a few days since we’ve had an update on whatever it is that may or may not be rekindling between her and Ben Affleck. But apparently she still intends to move ahead with the divorce. Girl, you sure?
