The Row

The Row is an American luxury fashion label established in New York City in 2006 by sisters Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. The brand developed from a design exercise rather than from a conventional celebrity licensing project. In 2005, Ashley Olsen began testing the idea of a precisely made, universally wearable T-shirt on women with different body shapes and ages. The exercise evolved into a broader investigation of fit, fabric, proportion, and understated luxury. The Row takes its name from London's Savile Row, a reference to tailoring and craft rather than to a direct menswear specialization. The label's first commercial offering appeared in 2006 as a seven-piece collection that included a T-shirt, cotton-sateen leggings, and a cashmere-wool tank dress. Barneys New York purchased the complete initial collection, giving the young label an influential luxury-retail launch. From that narrow beginning, The Row expanded into women's ready-to-wear, resort clothing, knitwear, tailoring, footwear, handbags, sunglasses, and other accessories. It later developed a substantial menswear business, beginning with a spring 2011 collection and returning with a more comprehensive range in 2018 after an extended period of research into suiting, denim, and knitwear. The brand's design language centers on quiet silhouettes, restrained branding, premium natural materials, neutral palettes, and close attention to construction and proportion. The Olsens initially avoided attaching their public identities prominently to the label and did not give interviews about it during its first three years. This approach helped establish The Row as a designer-led luxury house whose reputation rested primarily on product, retail presentation, and craftsmanship. The founders work principally from the company's Tribeca studio in New York, while the business has also maintained offices in Paris and London. The Row has developed a selective physical and wholesale distribution network. Its retail presence has included stores in Los Angeles, New York, and London, as well as availability through international luxury retailers. The label has reported distribution in 37 countries and has presented collections at New York Fashion Week, with selected appearances at Paris Fashion Week. Its presentations have included site-specific and culturally oriented settings, such as the Château de Courances and collaborations with the Noguchi Museum. The business faced pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 bankruptcy of Barneys New York, formerly one of its important accounts. Reports at the time said the company reduced its workforce substantially. The Row subsequently continued expanding its assortment, launching a children's collection in 2021. In 2024, Chanel owners Alain and Gérard Wertheimer and L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers acquired stakes in the company in a transaction reported to value the brand at approximately $1 billion. The Olsens remained majority stakeholders. The Row is therefore best understood as an independent, privately held luxury house with a global customer base and a deliberately low-visibility brand model.

The Row began as a design experiment initiated by Ashley Olsen in 2005. Her goal was to develop an ideal T-shirt, tested on women of different ages and body types to identify a broadly successful fit and attitude. The project expanded beyond a single garment, and in 2006 Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen introduced a seven-piece collection. Its early assortment included a T-shirt, cotton-sateen leggings, and a cashmere-wool tank dress. Barneys New York bought the entire collection, providing the fledgling label with a significant entry into luxury retail. The brand was named after Savile Row in London, associating it with tailoring, discipline, and traditional craftsmanship. The Olsens deliberately kept their names in the background during the early years, preferring attention to remain on the garments. The Row's first look book in 2008 featured Lauren Hutton. In 2012, Hutton accompanied the founders to the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, where The Row won its first Womenswear Designer of the Year award. The business developed from a small womenswear line into a broader luxury house. It added resort clothing, handbags, shoes, eyewear, and other accessories. The first menswear collection was created for spring 2011. The company later presented additional menswear in 2016 and announced a complete menswear range in 2018, including suiting, denim, and knitwear. The founders undertook two years of research before the expanded collection became available in stores in October 2018. The Row's New York base has been its Tribeca studio at 609 Greenwich Street since 2012. The company opened a Paris office in 2011 and a London office in 2019. Its retail development included a Los Angeles store on Melrose Avenue in 2014, located in a converted house concealed from the street, and a second flagship in New York's Upper East Side in 2016. The London store opened in 2019 at 15 Carlos Place in Mayfair. The label has also sold through selected luxury retailers and has been reported as available in 37 countries. Presentation and collaboration have supported the house's product-focused identity. The Row has regularly shown at New York Fashion Week and has made selected Paris Fashion Week appearances. Its spring 2016 collection was shown at the Château de Courances. Collaborations have included Toms Shoes in 2011, a backpack project with Damien Hirst in 2012, eyewear with Oliver Peoples in 2015 and 2018, and presentations involving the Noguchi Museum in 2018. In 2020, the company was reported to have encountered financial difficulties as the pandemic disrupted luxury retail and Barneys New York entered bankruptcy. Reports said that The Row laid off roughly half of its staff. The company later extended its product universe with a children's collection in 2021. In 2024, investors associated with Chanel and L'Oréal acquired stakes, while the Olsen sisters retained majority ownership. The investment represented a significant external validation of The Row's position in the luxury market, although the business remained privately held.

1. 2024Minority investment by luxury-industry investors

   Alain and Gérard Wertheimer and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers acquired stakes while the Olsen sisters retained majority ownership.

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2. 2021Children's collection launches

   The Row introduced its first children's collection.

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3. 2019London office and store open

   The Row expanded its London presence with an office and a Mayfair store at 15 Carlos Place.

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4. 2018Complete menswear collection launches

   After two years of research, The Row introduced a complete menswear offering spanning suiting, denim, and knitwear.

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5. 2016New York flagship opens

   The brand opened a second flagship in New York's Upper East Side and expanded its menswear presentation.

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6. 2014First Los Angeles store opens

   The Row opened its first store on Melrose Avenue in a converted residential property.

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7. 2012First CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award

   The Olsens won their first Council of Fashion Designers of America Womenswear Designer of the Year award.

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8. 2011Paris office and first menswear collection

   The Row opened a Paris office and created its first menswear collection for spring 2011.

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9. 2008Lauren Hutton appears in the first look book

   Lauren Hutton modeled for The Row's first look book, helping communicate the label's understated aesthetic.

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10. 2006The Row is founded

    Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen established The Row in New York and introduced its first seven-piece collection.

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11. 2005The T-shirt project begins

    Ashley Olsen began a personal design project focused on creating a highly adaptable, precisely fitted T-shirt.

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Quiet luxury, refined minimalism, exceptional materials, discreet branding, and craftsmanship-led design for high-end international customers.

• Women's ready-to-wearApparel2006

  The Row's core women's line emphasizes precise proportion, restrained silhouettes, premium fabrics, and subtle construction details. It includes everyday separates, dresses, outerwear, tailoring, and knitwear, generally avoiding prominent logos or overt seasonal decoration.

• MenswearApparel2011

  The Row's menswear offering developed from an initial spring 2011 collection into a more comprehensive range launched in 2018. It includes tailoring, suiting, denim, knitwear, outerwear, and understated wardrobe staples built around the house's minimalist approach.

• Resort collectionsApparel

  Resort clothing extends The Row's minimalist wardrobe system into seasonal transitional pieces, combining relaxed silhouettes with luxury materials and the brand's muted visual language.

• Handbags and accessoriesLeather goods and accessories

  The Row produces handbags and fashion accessories intended to complement its apparel rather than function as heavily branded statement products. The category is part of the label's broader luxury offering.

• FootwearFootwear

  The footwear line extends the label's quiet, proportion-conscious design language across refined everyday and formal styles.

• EyewearEyewear

  The Row has developed sunglasses and optical frames through collaborations including Linda Farrow and Oliver Peoples. The Oliver Peoples projects included collections in 2015 and 2018, with the latter drawing on 1990s-inspired styles.

• Children's collectionChildren's apparel2021

  Introduced in 2021, the children's collection extended The Row's understated luxury approach to younger customers.

• 2008First look book with Lauren Hutton

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  Lauren Hutton modeled for The Row's first look book, presenting the label through an understated editorial format.

  Outcome. The look book helped establish the brand's minimalist, mature, and product-centered image.

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• 2024Sale of minority stakes to luxury-industry investorsM&A

  The privately held label attracted investment from investors connected with Chanel and L'Oréal.

  What changed. Alain and Gérard Wertheimer and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers acquired stakes in The Row, while Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen retained majority ownership.

  Aftermath. The transaction was reported to value the brand at approximately $1 billion and provided a new institutional base without displacing the founders' control.

  Reported company valuation. Approximately $1 billion (2024 transaction)

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• 2021Launch of children's collectionProduct launch

  After establishing women's and men's categories, The Row broadened its customer reach.

  What changed. The label introduced its first children's collection.

  Aftermath. The launch expanded The Row's product architecture beyond adult luxury apparel.

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• 2020Workforce reduction during the pandemic and Barneys bankruptcyStrategy

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted luxury retail while the bankruptcy of Barneys New York affected one of The Row's important retail accounts.

  What changed. The company reportedly laid off approximately half of its staff while managing the resulting business pressure.

  Aftermath. The Row continued operating and later expanded into children's clothing, but no verified full financial recovery figures are provided here.

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• 2018Launch of a complete menswear collectionProduct launch

  The Row had experimented with menswear earlier but undertook two years of research before creating a full range.

  What changed. The label introduced suiting, denim, knitwear, and related menswear categories, making the business more broadly gender-inclusive.

  Aftermath. The collection became available in stores in October 2018 and established menswear as a continuing part of the brand's offer.

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• 2024New investors acquired stakes in The Row

  Alain and Gérard Wertheimer and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers acquired stakes in the privately held fashion label. The Olsen sisters remained majority stakeholders, and the transaction was reported to value the company at about $1 billion.

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• 2021The Row launched its first children's collection

  The label expanded beyond adult womenswear and menswear with its first children's collection.

  Product launch
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• 2020The Row reportedly reduced its workforce during the COVID-19 and Barneys crisis

  The brand was reported to be dealing with financial pressure linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy of Barneys New York, and reportedly laid off approximately half of its staff.

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1. The Row (fashion label)