Jewellery (jewelry)

By Caroline Tell Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen soon might not be wearing anyone but themselves.

The diminutive Olsen twins have created a fashion jewelry collection through a licensing partnership with Robert Lee Morris under the brand Elizabeth and James, their contemporary apparel label that is sold in more than 250 doors globally.

Given their well-known propensity for partying and being photographed by the paparazzi, the Olsens could turn out to be one of the best self-promoters in the fashion game. With one photograph, they have been able to catapult a no-name handbag into must-have status, or send groups of women rushing to find that perfect platform boot. While some of their wardrobe choices have been derided ? from the blanketed hobo shrouds to their Goth, vampy ensembles ? like it or not, the 22-year-old twins are fixtures in fashion front rows from Paris to New York, despite some of their personal problems.

“We’ve always done our own thing and sometimes people appreciate it or they don’t, or it’s shocking or it’s not,” said Ashley, who the night before being interviewed appeared in New York at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards draped in an oversize black Calvin Klein Collection suit. “We don’t follow the trends of other people. We’ve never had stylists, we do our own thing. So when you find individuals like that, especially in the fashion industry, people pay attention. Whether they agree with it or not is a different story.”

The Olsens are expanding their design activities, which shouldn’t be a surprise since the two already have a significant merchandising and branding business that, in the past, has been estimated at about $1 billion. Along with Dualstar Entertainment Group, which has managed their brand for 17 years, they’ve gone from selling DVDs at Wal-Mart to $600 skirts at Barneys New York from their new high-end ready-to-wear label, the Row.

“We both have a love for accessories and they’ve always been important to us from Day One,” Mary-Kate said. “They can help make an outfit or make you feel different. Maybe a ring brings you good luck, or you got it as a present and it means so much to you. It’s a feeling that you get when you put on something that is special.”
1 23   |  next

wwd.com