The Row - The All-Things The Row Thread

[Not Plain Jane]

Eeeesh! You're right Wolkfolk!

 

[Thefrenchy]

Here is their new logo on the SS14 shoes... ...

INSTAGRAM.COM/SOPHIECALVER

 

[balmain1914]

Olsen twins should adjust that awkward circle logo...it is nothing high end and luxury

 

[Hot Cowture]

Yeah, what is that? Charmed? The witches circle?

 

[barbiestolemyDVN]

Does anyone have any idea how much they're going to be selling the shoes for? I'm praying they'll be in my price range (I doubt it, but a girl can dream...)

 

[HeatherAnne]

Yeah, what is that? Charmed? The witches circle?

Personally, I thought the old logo with the combined T&R letters was perfection.

 

[Thefrenchy]

I saw this FW13 dress at Maria Luisa's Bridal corner at Le Printemps the other day and it's one of the most exquisite dresses I've ever seen. The fabric is absolutely beautiful. Retails 5430€ if my memory serves me right

STYLE.COM

 

[Thefrenchy]

Olsen Sisters Opening Store for The Row in L.A.

ARTS & CRAFTS: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will open the first retail store for their brand The Row next year in Los Angeles, the sisters revealed during a small dinner party in London hosted by Net-a-porter. The store will open in the spring, and the Olsens said they said they have been busy putting the project together.

“We’ve always loved architecture, furniture and art,” said Ashley, adding that their aesthetic would inform the store’s interiors. During their flying visit to London, the sisters hosted a trunk show for 50 of Net-a-porter’s top European clients — the bag they call The Sling proved among the most popular items — and said they planned to visit some of the retailers that stock the collection, named after Savile Row. London stockists include Browns, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Joseph, Liberty and Matches.

- source: WWD.COM

 

[barbaraaa]

^^ The dress is indeed beautiful, but I can't help but think how overpriced it is... also man, those shoes

 

[Thefrenchy]

"The Row Dives Into Retail" - May 12, 2014
by Marcy Medina

LOS ANGELES — Nearly a decade after founding The Row, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen on Tuesday will open the brand’s first flagship — a 3,800-square-foot store at 8440 Melrose Place that looks like the quintessential midcentury modern California pad, right down to the swimming pool in its glass courtyard.

They both refer to the store as “a hidden gem” because, save for a short white signpost on the cobblestone sidewalk, a brushed steel plaque and a narrow window displaying an antique cabinet filled with folded white T-shirts and a signature backpack, none of the actual store is visible from the street. Customers first pass through white double doors in the gray stucco building, then through a narrow brick courtyard flanked by other offices, before reaching the store’s glass door, beyond which the pool is visible.

“It’s really tempting,” said Mary-Kate as she stretched her arms out beside the pool and tilted her face up toward the sun. In case anyone decides to take the plunge, a leather basket of neatly rolled beach towels has been thoughtfully placed nearby. “We’ve always wanted our own store; it’s always been part of the plan,” she continued. “It was a toss-up between New York and L.A., and when this space became available, we jumped on it. It used to be a hair salon and my sister and I used to come here, so we were very aware of the space.”

“We had been coming here since we were, like, 10 years old,” added Ashley of the former Sally Hershberger and John Frieda space. “We are from here and The Row started here, so it was all very appropriate.”

Back in the days when celebrities kept production offices on the quiet, tree-lined street, the space belonged to singer Neil Diamond. “We changed it a bit, but we left the bones,” said Ashley. “We like to enhance what’s already existed so the integrity of it is still very on par.”

Mary-Kate, dressed in The Row’s silk slipdress from a past season over a current white T-shirt, finished her outfit with a multicolor vintage coat and burgundy crocodile Manolo Blahnik sling-backs. Ashley wore a black silk shirt from The Row’s spring 2012 collection with a black pre-fall skirt and flat sandals. Mary-Kate’s engagement ring was one of the smaller pieces of jewelry the sisters were sporting, given their predilection for chunky gold bracelets, rings and pendants.

For the designing duo, it was important that the store represent Los Angeles. To that end, they worked with designers David Montalba and Courtney Applebaum and local furniture and antiques vendors such as JF Chen, Galerie Half, Blackman Cruz and Thomas Hayes Gallery to outfit the three distinct areas with items such as a Jean Prouvé dining table, a Fortuny floor lamp, Poul Kjaerholm coffee tables and Paul McCobb woven leather chairs, all of which are also for sale.

They refer to the spaces on either side of the pool courtyard as the west and east galleries, the west staged to resemble a dining area and the east a living room, while a third, smaller space in the front of the building is referred to as the library. “Ultimately, for us, it was about setting it up like a home and just having the apparel be a part of the space,” said Ashley.

Brown and neutral wool and cashmere jackets and pants from pre-fall hang on movable racks in the west gallery, along with bags displayed on thin, double-layered matte steel shelves that appear to float on the back wall, and Sidney Garber jewelry in a dark wood vitrine. The space seems to invite shopping as well as lounging, with sunglasses and scarves arranged on the round dining table along with potted succulents and scented candles. Tucked behind the galleries are three dressing rooms featuring pink limestone walls, giant floating mirrors and springy carpeting.

In the hallway that crosses the courtyard on the way to the east gallery, two John Tweddle paintings hang above another vitrine containing antique jewelry, cutlery and desktop items culled from the sisters’ personal collections. “Over time we’ll start curating more and more pieces,” said Mary-Kate, who added a Sergej Jensen painting from her own house to the entryway.

The east gallery houses T-shirts and sweaters as well as a few items exclusive to the store, such as a black coat from the fall 2013 collection featuring beading in a palm tree motif, and fine-gauge cashmere scarves. The sisters also plan to showcase capsule collections in the store, the first of which arrives in two weeks.

In the library, the sisters settle into a black leather love seat and armchair in front of a limestone fireplace. The room contains dark wood and pigskin-lined shelves displaying evening bags and Manolo Blahnik pumps, and mostly black eveningwear pieces. “We have all 170 pieces in our collection represented here. A lot of stores obviously don’t buy the whole collection, maybe 20 percent, so this is really the place where we can present it like a showroom,” said Mary-Kate.

“It was important to us to open up our doors quietly. We’re not going to have a party or anything; we want to make sure it’s set up properly, merchandised properly, that things are working. Maybe in a month or so we’ll do a dinner. For now, we just want to be open and get feedback from people close to us,” said Ashley.

Like almost everything they have done with The Row, opening the store has been a methodical process. “We’ve always been one T-shirt at a time, one hire at a time,” said Ashley. “We still run our business that way. We take on what the company can handle when it can handle it. This is not a fast-fashion brand, and I think it’s important to allow [it] time to exist and grow the way it grows naturally.”

While she declined to reveal their sales volume, she said, “It’s healthy.”

Said Mary-Kate: “What’s more important to talk about is that every step is really imperative to the brand and we don’t like to do everything at once. We’ll get into e-commerce sooner than later, but we want to make sure we do this right first. We will get into shoes in the next year. And hopefully men’s. To us it’s really about a lifestyle, and I think this store is a great starting-off point to express where we are going.”

As for their wholesale business — the brand is in 188 doors in 37 countries — Ashley said she’s happy with their U.S. distribution but that there is room to grow internationally. “I feel like we are in the countries and stores we want to be in internationally; it’s just about cultivating the client. It’s starting to happen, and the response is the same as it was here in the beginning, so it’s just about being patient and going to those places and really meeting the client and understanding their needs.”

A store could also be in the offing for their contemporary brand Elizabeth and James, according to Mary-Kate. “We’ll obviously wait to see the reaction of this store and how it enhances the brand, but the environment is very important,” she said.

Although it was just a coincidence that they found the ideal space in Los Angeles first, the sisters, who are a month shy of their 28th birthday and already have a CDFA Womenswear Designer of the Year award under their belts, said they were glad to open here before New York. “Starting in New York seemed pretty aggressive. This gives us some time to learn. I’m sure there’s many mistakes we made, so we will learn from those as well,” said Mary-Kate.

Ashley summed up, “This is our baby. This is something that we have nurtured and will continue to nurture. That is the way we feel about all our brands, but this one has always been a labor of love, and the space also reflects that.”

But the store isn’t their only project, of course. The sisters showed off photos of a wedding gown they are designing for a friend. Asked if they would ever design their own wedding gowns, Mary-Kate — who is engaged to Olivier Sarkozy — said, “I’m, like, not even there yet. I think it may be a matter of getting five or six or making two or three and being stressed out. That seems kind of far away. We’ll take one step at a time.”

- WWD.COM

 

[VogueDisciple93]

If I were to ever open a store it would be almost exactly like this. Perfect, like most things about the brand.

 

[Desi]

Such a lovely space, it truly does imitate a home. The staff probably would not appreciate it but I would take a quick nap on that daybed while my boo is shopping.

 

[JunyaSchick]

I like it, but the idea is nothing unique. Vanessa Traina opened a very similar space in NYC a few months ago.

I'm glad they are expanding their lifestyle brand. However I would really like to know the only info they haven't shared: the volume of sales and revenues... I guess E&J, Olsenboye and StyleMint are bigger stakes.

 

[Emmanuelle]

What a relaxing place. I would love to see that.

 

[Thefrenchy]

The Surprise Luxury Label - May 14, 2014
by Ray A. Smith

The Row Founders Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Talk About High Prices and Their Older Target Customer

At The Row, a seemingly simple short-sleeve jersey T-shirt costs $280, a wool blazer with three-quarter-length sleeves slightly more than $1,300 and a top-handle satchel nearly $3,000.

The prices rival those of Bottega Veneta and Lanvin, houses much more established than The Row, which former child stars Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen founded in 2006.

The Olsens, now 27 years old, are well aware some fashion followers perceive The Row as audaciously priced. Some of that stems from what could be called Backpack-Gate.

A $39,000 alligator backpack that The Row began selling in 2011 raised eyebrows and elicited eye rolls, even as it reportedly sold out.

"That was obviously a very special bag to us but that didn't represent the entire range," said Mary-Kate Olsen in an interview earlier this month at the label's showroom in downtown Manhattan.

Ms. Olsen raised the issue early in the interview to make the point that The Row also sells bags in the $1,000 to $3,000 range. "So we've now spent a couple of years also retraining the customer that that's not the only product that's available."

Retailers were initially skeptical of the line, fearing it was just another celebrity vanity project, and overpriced to boot. At the time, the Olsens were still best known for their years on TV's "Full House."

Now, eight years later, high-end retailers call the line a success.

The Row opened its first store Tuesday in Los Angeles. The label was recently nominated for Accessories Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The Row is up against Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler for the award, which will be given out in a ceremony early next month.

Older women are The Row's target consumers, an unusual choice for 20-something designers. The Row's customer, Ashley Olsen said, is "probably 40s, 50s, it really could be any age. She's—the women that I know are—sophisticated, very educated within the world of fashion" and appreciates finer fabrics and craftsmanship. That age group is also more likely to be able to afford The Row than a woman in her 20s.

So rather than showing the clothes on girlish-looking models, The Row cast runway models from decades past for its recent pre-fall 2014 collection lookbook (a booklet sent to fashion editors). And while many designers are accompanied at the CFDA awards by the latest young starlet or model, in 2012 The Row's guest was model and actress Lauren Hutton, now 70. (The label won the Womenswear Designer of the Year award that year, surprising people who thought Proenza Schouler was a shoo-in.)

The Row plans, for the first time, to start selling shoes from one of its runway collections. The shoes are a far cry from the feminine-looking heels and flats that women have proved willing to splurge on. Ashley Olsen said the menswear-inspired derby, mule and loafer styles will appeal to "a very specific customer. I don't think it's for everyone."

The Row collaborated with Enzo Bonafè, a maker of handmade men's shoes, based in Bologna, Italy. The label is only selling the handmade shoes, which start at $850, in its own store initially. It plans to begin producing footwear in house by next year.

Industrywide sales of women's handbags and shoes continue to outperform apparel. Spending on luxury items—including apparel, leather goods, watches, jewelry and cosmetics—is starting to slow, in part due to very wealthy consumers nearing the limits of what they are willing to spend. Sales of such items rose 7% last year, down from the 11% annual rate in 2010 through 2012, according to Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm.

The Row started with a T-shirt, Mary-Kate Olsen said. "How we could make a perfect T-shirt in a great fabric that would fit any age. It was sort of just a project" that evolved into a brand. After the T-shirt came "the blazer and then the legging, it was about quality clothing," she continued. The twins, who don't have formal design-school training, tried to keep The Row from being lumped in with celebrity fashion lines. "We didn't do an interview for it for the first three years," Mary-Kate Olsen said. "Our whole point was if it's good product, it will sell without a label or a logo or a face behind it and it worked."

About 145 high-end department stores and boutiques world-wide carry The Row's apparel, while 77 carry its accessories. The Row declined to discuss sales. A 2009 New York Times article estimated sales at $10 million. The label is a division of Dualstar Entertainment Group, a private, brand-management company owned by the Olsens. Dualstar oversees their other businesses, which include lower-priced clothing lines, as well as movies and books—many featuring the twins as children.

Savile Row inspired The Row's name, "the idea of made-to-measure clothing," Mary-Kate Olsen said. The line's minimalist clothes are sometimes elegantly slouchy, luxurious takes on staples such as the cable-knit sweater or the double-faced cashmere overcoat. The accessories share a similar discrete aesthetic.

To casual observers, The Row's merchandise raises the question why something so basic and simple-looking costs so much.

The clothing "is a luxury product made in the U.S.," Mary-Kate Olsen said. "So I think we're pretty much priced…" She paused a moment to consider the word she wanted to use. Ashley Olsen swooped in, saying "we're competitively priced." (The two tend to complete each other's thoughts.) "Everyone that we sit next to as far as from the apparel standpoint, we're competitively priced."

Ashley Olsen continued: "We always do competitive research about materials, make, and what we are doing versus what other companies are doing." Some techniques in the way The Row's clothes are made add to their cost.

The Olsens looked unsure when asked what their titles were. "We don't like titles at this company," Mary-Kate Olsen said with a laugh. (Their titles are co-chief executives and co-creative directors.) The label's bags are made in Italy, which raises the cost. The Row uses expensive materials: One version of its new Book Bag comes in crocodile and was made using a Bombé technique, one of the twins described as "an older technique that you don't see very often," that gives the leather a pebbled texture. Bags' linings are fabrics such as linen rather than synthetic.

Daniella Vitale, chief operating officer of Barneys New York, the first retailer to carry The Row's bags, said "Mary-Kate and Ashley were right all along by keeping their debut collection in rare and exclusive materials." The Barneys customer responded to that, she said, but the Olsens "also recognized it was not sustainable in these super-luxe versions and began to evolve the collection into leathers, canvas, and suede with beautiful simple hardware. This evolution has really broadened their audience at Barneys."

Ms. Vitale said the retailer has been "very pleased" with way The Row's bags, carried in Barneys's flagship store on Madison Ave., in Beverly Hills and its website, have performed. "Now with the range of pricing and styling," Barneys would consider carrying the bags in its smaller stores, she said.

The Olsen sisters get excited when they spot someone in public carrying one of their bags. "The last time we were in Paris, we saw a few people with the handbags that we didn't know and we didn't gift so we did sneak a few photos," Mary-Kate Olsen said.

- ONLINE.WSJ.COM

 

[HeatherAnne]

Nice read, they've definitely made a believer (in their talents) out of me. I definitely do remember the days of being dubious, along with everyone else, about their t-shirts... until I bought one [and still own it now years later in perfect condition]. I could tick off a number of designers making basic t-shirts in that price range now, but they were some of the first to take the risk. Thrilled to keep hearing new about their shoe line, FINALLY!

 

[tricotineacetat]

They obviously took their time to figure out a sustainable, unhurried business approach, something that a lot of other independent designers coming from London or New York probably couldn't do - In a funny way, while in the end, all designers are being perceived as that, there is an odd reality to the fact that independent designers are expected to grow their businesses' with fast progress and have support from influential key opinion leaders from the very beginning, while 'celebrity designers' are often expected the very opposite - keep their collection operations below the radar, attend at their trunk shows and other sales events and not to stage flashy fashion shows.

The two have done their homework well, though - the fabrics they are using are as luxurious as they can get and the quality and construction is on par (if not higher) than that of Celine.

 

[kasper!]

^And the leather of their bags is almost on par with Hermès...When I first touch THAT Day Luxe bag, I almost cired. So timeless and simple..

 

[tricotineacetat]

^And the leather of their bags is almost on par with Hermès...When I first touch THAT Day Luxe bag, I almost cired. So timeless and simple..

Yes, the quality of their leather goods is definitely a notch up from what Celine or Saint Laurent are charging for their lines. As had already been mentioned in the article - it started out as a true vanity project and not a fast cash cow, like the huge accessories' ranges that houses' like Saint Laurent are offering to generate the majority of their sales.

This goes back to what I was saying earlier about the twins being able to build a brand without needing to generate immediate profitability - They had and have the deep pockets to do this exactly the way they liked, therewith pursuing their business with complete consistency.

 

[JunyaSchick]

Yes, the quality of their leather goods is definitely a notch up from what Celine or Saint Laurent are charging for their lines. As had already been mentioned in the article - it started out as a true vanity project and not a fast cash cow, like the huge accessories' ranges that houses' like Saint Laurent are offering to generate the majority of their sales.

This goes back to what I was saying earlier about the twins being able to build a brand without needing to generate immediate profitability - They had and have the deep pockets to do this exactly the way they liked, therewith pursuing their business with complete consistency.

I think the Row is sustained by the other (mass-oriented) brands they have (stylemint, olsenboye and E&J). I would like to know if they have already started to have profits on The Row. The boutique is definetly a step towards it. In this sense, as creators, they have been very lucky to have the financial power to be able to focus that much on the quality of the product.