The Row : from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen #2

[GIVENCHYlover]

In the papers she's not the creative director so a 3 year contract is not necessary.

 

[JunyaSchick]

Surely there won't be an announcement regarding who's replacing her at The Row, will it?

Also I'm a bit curious as to how these things work. So you're working at a place and have a prominent position, suddenly you get a call and two days later you quit and move out of the country to join a new team? And your employer just has to deal with it and find a new person to replace you?

Yes, that's how it works. Sometimes there are deadlines to meet (15 days, a month) but that's how it happens. There are many hunters looking for talented people out there in prominent positions in every sector.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^Thank you for confirming it I knew it happened in other sectors, but it seemed a bit more intriguing applied to fashion design per se.

 

[JunyaSchick]

^Thank you for confirming it I knew it happened in other sectors, but it seemed a bit more intriguing applied to fashion design per se.

Well, I think in fashion is even more common given the high competitiveness and the general fast-pace of the industry.

In other sectors such as hospitality or high-consultancy is also common.

 

[hepburn]

This is really sad news for The Row and for the girls, Nadege was/is a huge part of the company

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

6 pages in Bazaar UK Sept 2014

my snap

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

In The Row AW14

my snap, Bazaar UK

 

[HeatherAnne]

The Row to Open Upper East Side Flagship

UPTOWN GIRLS: The Row’s tony, sophisticated aesthetic resonates beautifully with the 10021 set, and soon those ladies will be able to shop their zip code. Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen have signed a lease on a 1910 townhouse at 17 East 71st Street, where they expect to open a New York flagship by the end of the year. “We have had our eye on this property for the past two years,” said Ashley.

The choice of a townhouse suggests that the designers may be shaping a retail identity based on localized architecture and an at-home approach to decor. Last May they opened their first store, on Melrose Place in Los Angeles, a shiny capsule of midcentury cool built around a courtyard and pool visible through glass doors. At the time, Mary-Kate said it was a toss-up whether to open in Los Angeles or New York, and when the West Coast space became available, “we jumped on it.”

In altering the L.A. space, Ashley said, “we left the bones. We like to enhance what’s already existed so the integrity of it is still very on par.” Two galleries were furnished as living and dining rooms. “It was about setting it up as a home and just having the apparel be a part of the space,” she said.

The Olsens are no strangers to showing their wares within a townhouse setting. They showed their fall 2013 collection in an airy Upper East Side beauty aglow with Edwardian elegance. Their modern-classic clothes looked right at home.

wwd.com

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

Great news, I love their LA shop

 

[misspistol]

I'm honestly surprised they didn't open their first shop in NY.

 

[Thefrenchy]

The Row: The Quiet Ones
by Jessica Iredale
April 29th, 2015

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen have surprised, impressed and in many ways trailblazed their way into the fashion industry, where their reputations are not as novelty former child stars but legitimate aesthetes and serious designers with a formidable business. At this point it feels almost impolite to mention their prior sitcom lives (although due to the timing of this interview, the day after their former costar John Stamos announced the Netflix spinoff of “Full House,” one feels obliged).

The Olsens, now 28, were early to the concept of rarefied basics. Back in 2005 when they moved to New York from Los Angeles to attend New York University, they wanted T-shirts made to a T: the perfect fit, the perfect fabric. Now you can’t walk through a department store without dodging racks of “perfect” upscale this and that.

Originally, the product was intended as a charity project. “It was something we just wanted for ourselves,” says Ashley, sitting beside her sister behind a gigantic shared desk in their office at The Row’s TriBeCa studio, which they have occupied since November 2012. “It wasn’t something that I thought would ever be a business.”

‪See the Rest of the WWD 6 Here >>‬

But a business it is. The Row — its name derived from the holy grail of tailoring Savile Row — is sold through 164 points of distribution in 37 countries with industry insiders estimating $50 million in annual sales.

Last May, The Row opened its first store on Melrose Place in Los Angeles in the 3,800-square-foot former Sally Hershberger and John Frieda space, where the twins used to get their hair done. The brand’s second flagship will open in New York early next year, a town house at 17 East 71st Street on the Upper East Side. The sisters have a successful handbag collection and shoes look likely in the short-term after a prolonged, perfectionist research and production phase. “It’s been a three-year conversation,” says Mary-Kate of figuring out shoes.

The company has around 60 employees, seven on the design team, including Mary-Kate and Ashley. A Paris office opened in 2011 and the European market is being nurtured slowly, while the U.S. makes up the bulk of distribution for the label.

The original perfect T-shirts, blazers, black leather pants and other wardrobe staples have evolved into a full-yet-focused collection of exquisitely tasteful grown-up clothes that mix the classic and minimal with elements of subdued bohemianism. It’s quiet luxury at its finest, rendered through a slow-wrought artisanal approach. Everything The Row offers, aside from a few sweaters, is produced domestically, a practice that is reflected in the collection’s price tags, which range from around $300 for a T-shirt to nearly $5,000 for a classic coat.

“It was approached as a passion project and it was baby-steps and wasn’t coming from any other place but creativity and there was such a purity and innocence,” Ashley says. “I look back and I’m like, ‘Where did I get the gumption to go out and do that and meet with these people?’”

Asked if their high-profile celebrity background made it harder to be taken seriously, she replies, “I think there’s a very obvious answer to that question. It never stopped us from working hard. It never got in the way of our end goal, which was to make clothes for women.”

There was a learning curve. Despite having a billion-dollar company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, with a thriving licensed apparel business for the mass market at the inception of The Row, Mary-Kate and Ashley had no experience at the other end of the market, where relationships and trust are hard-earned. Mary-Kate recalls the early days of trying to sell the fall 2007 collection in Paris when she, her sister and two other employees would rent an apartment and take sales appointments. “We would be selling the clothes off of us,” she says. “We had a rack and the stores would come in and say, ‘OK, explain every garment, take us through it.’ And they would say, ‘If you’re here next season we’ll do this again.’ They wanted to make sure we were going to show up every season, the product to be shipped on time, and it was going to evolve and be well made.”

Naturally, there were items that didn’t sell as well as expected or things that took a while to catch on, such as wide-leg pants when skinny fits were still all the rage, heftier fabrics when the regional climate called for lightweight, but The Row has never had a collection that bombed. No tacky moments, no egregious stylistic missteps.

The trends are reserved for Elizabeth and James, the Olsens’ cool yet polished contemporary line named for their two siblings. The Row is purely upper echelon. Mary-Kate and Ashley won their first CFDA Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2012, took home the Accessories Designer of the Year Award last year, and are nominated in both categories again this year.

On the path to proving their mettle, the sisters didn’t go out of their way to curry favor through old-fashioned apparel industry marketing standards. They have eschewed procedural protocol in many ways, which has been admirable and, at times, irritating. Their relationship with the press can be elusive, and was especially so in their early days. They forwent formal runway presentations until fall 2010 and still refuse to let outside photographers shoot their shows. Nor do they indulge the standard inspiration-laden sound bite queries post-show. For example, after staging their fall 2015 show on the vacant 35th floor of the Mies van der Rohe-designed Seagram Building, Mary-Kate summarized the collection succinctly: “I think the space really says it all.”

They are reticent to extoll their aesthetic ambitions — or maybe just refreshingly matter-of-fact. “It’s always, purchase our fabrics first and figure out our proportion of the season,” Mary-Kate says. “We design in a very mathematical way. We have a sku count in the system and we design into it that way. We’re very aware of budget and the way what works and what doesn’t work.”

The Row has also yet to mount an ad campaign. “We think about it,” Mary-Kate says. “We’re definitely like, can you put that budget aside? We try to think about our clients and if it’s going directly to them and who it’s impacting. We like to think about if you put your dollars toward something, you’ll see a return, and [a campaign] is more of an up-in-the-air thing.”

To her point, the business has more than hummed along without the aid of traditional marketing channels, even the boon that certifiable celebrity can bring to fashion enterprises, which the Olsens deliberately avoided. At the time of The Row’s launch, the clothes had a thin, hand-stamped gold chain rather than a label, no public relations, no overt link to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for the consumer to connect with, though presumably their loyal clients are now aware of who’s designing the clothes even if the general public isn’t. It was solely word of mouth. “That started telling us something, which was that if the product was right it would sell, without anyone knowing what it was,” Mary-Kate says.

Retailers love the collection and see it as a scalable business, despite its slow, steady and domestically produced mandate. “The Row has quietly built an incredible business, both commercial and directional, with a tremendous following,” says Daniella Vitale, Barneys New York’s chief operating officer. “With an expanding retail footprint and international presence, the development of their leather accessory business, and hopefully the launch of shoes, will help to catapult them to the next level. They also have a tremendous opportunity in the fragrance and beauty space when they are ready.”

When they are ready. That is the lead strategy at The Row. Asked about a five-year plan, the sisters will only say they have one, but it’s flexible. For example, they originally intended to open a store in New York first but prime real estate came up in Los Angeles. To that end, as for future growth and goals, the most specific thing on the agenda is the forthcoming New York flagship, which, if it’s to be the East Coast equivalent of the L.A. store’s shiny, at-home midcentury cool complete with a swimming pool, will be very special.

The sisters hold themselves accountable to their customers and themselves. “It’s a different thought process,” Ashley says. “We own our company. We’re not really being told by anyone else what to do or what numbers to hit or being pressured to be doing anything. The pressure comes from us. It’s not external.”

- source: WWD.COM

 

[mercer]

Does anyone remember when the label switched from a chain to a traditional label?

 

[hepburn]

Around 2 years ago, though I'm not sure of the exact date/month.

 

[mercer]

Around 2 years ago, though I'm not sure of the exact date/month.

Thank you so much!

 

[Miss Dalloway]

So Happy they won yesterday at CFDA Awards, loved what they showed in last few seasons.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^So am I!

 

[Emmanuelle]

The Row is really a great brand, glad their work is so well received

 

[Benn98]

Troubled Times

• 24 Jul 2020
• BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL

The Row has reportedly shed up to half its staff and is weathering financial difficulties.

The Row, the luxe minimalist brand founded by Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, is weathering financial difficulties, layoffs and the scaling back or closure of its short-lived men’s wear line, according to sources.

Despite numerous accolades, the Olsens’ reputation as arbiters of taste and CFDA Award wins and nominations — including those released this week, for Womenswear Designer of the Year and Accessories Designer of the Year —sources say the brand’s finances have long been choppy and that the current global economic crisis resulting from the coronavirus has been a further blow to the label.

When reached for comment regarding its business, The Row issued a statement to WWD saying it is, “actively producing the pre-fall 2020 and fall 2020 collections, developing the spring 2021 collection and working on its expansion plans for 2021 and beyond.”

“Like all retail brands, the company responsibly reduced overhead to address what we all hope will be a temporary disruption of the supply chain due to the global pandemic,” the statement said.

“The Row is steadfastly committed to and maintains a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are not going to comment on the other inaccurate gossip about our business, other than to say we are excited about The Row’s future, including our men’s wear line, accessories, our e-commerce business and our future profitability.”

Following global COVID-19 lockdowns, The Row made extensive cuts to its staff, according to sources, by one account slashing 50 percent of all jobs. Among those said to have exited were head of women’s design Anna Sophia Hövener, and founding head men’s wear designer Paul Helbers, while a fleet of other design, sales and development positions were eliminated. Those cuts followed the October ouster of president David Schulte, who has since filed a sealed lawsuit against the sisters, their label and its parent company Dualstar Entertainment.

The job reductions came on the heels of Barneys New York’s bankruptcy last year — the court filings from which revealed that The Row was owed $3.7 million in outstanding debts. Barneys was among The Row’s biggest wholesale accounts, and the brand was the store’s second-biggest debtor — even outpacing two of the retailer’s landlords.

But even as third-party retail continues to decline globally, The Row has not made a major push to develop its own e-commerce channels, which some sources pointed to as one of the reasons for its current woes.

Some say the departure of Helbers, formerly head men’s designer for Louis Vuitton and Maison Martin Margiela, represents the end of The Row’s experiment with men’s wear — a launch charted in August 2018 at Schulte’s insistence, according to a source. The concept never quite got off the ground and was underperforming at retail, they said. Helbers did not respond to requests for comment.

When New York City entered phase one of reopening, between 10 and 12 members of The Row’s design and development team — a group that originally stood at around 30 people — were called back to the office to begin working on new collections. Among those called back were the label’s in-house patternmakers, according to a source.

It is understood that with the teams called back, Ashley is now serving as the company’s ceo, while Mary-Kate is creative director.

A source said at one point it appeared that The Row would shift its operations to Milan to be closer to its handbag and shoe development sites — two of the label’s biggest categories — but it appears the brand’s headquarters are staying put in New York for now. One source said The Row’s longtime leather supplier had some trouble getting paid and recently received notice from the brand terminating their working relationship.

Financial hardships aside, The Row has also seen internal turmoil regarding racial inequity, according to a source, who noted that the brand does not employ any Black professionals in its corporate headquarters and has very few employees of Asian descent. The source said that Asian employees were often excluded from promotions and raises even after years of working for the company. After the company’s recent round of layoffs, the source is unsure if any people of color remain on staff.

When asked to confirm or deny specifics relating to this story and their accuracy, The Row declined further comment.

The Row has long been regarded for its carefully crafted, guarded image — the kind of label that avoided discounting in order to maintain an aura of exclusivity. The brand’s fashion shows are attended by a curated list of fashion figures and are organized as refined, meditative experiences. The company’s Instagram is often cryptic, posting photos of minimalist artworks and archival photos.

All things considered, one would not expect to encounter The Row’s designs at discount retailers. However, one well placed source said that in recent months

The brand has reportedly shed up to half its staff and is weathering financial difficulties that could see it reduce general operations.

The Row liquidated a considerable amount of merchandise to off-price channels in order to drum up a much-needed spurt of cash. The brand is still operating two flagship stores, one in New York and the other in Los Angeles, which are wellrespected for their environmental approach to retailing and tasteful assortment. Both locations are currently open for shopping.

Throughout the label’s history, The Row has done well at producing some high-margin accessories, like its signature Ascot bag — a piece of silk knotted into a hammock shape that retails for around $1,000. The label also sells velvet Furlane gondolier shoes, versions of which cost around $20 at stores across Italy, for the retail price of $550. Recently, more of that product had ended up on sale racks at luxury stores.

But as The Row faced financial trouble, sources say that Ashley and Mary-Kate continued to spend lavishly — even installing a fur bed in the middle of their studio office that no one sat on. This summer, Mary-Kate became enmeshed in a high-profile divorce from Olivier Sarkozy, and was reported to spend $325,000 on a summer Hamptons rental to hide out in during COVID-19 lockdowns this summer. The designer has since been photographed back at work outside The Row’s corporate headquarters.

The Row has seen internal turmoil regarding racial inequity, according to a source, who noted that the brand does not employ any Black professionals in its corporate headquarters and has very few employees of Asian descent.

WWD

 

[GivenchyAddict]

^I swear. Good riddance. I can't stand anymore their brand.

 

[dsamg]

The Row’s Beige Ambition