In a rare and captivating interview, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have graced the cover of Vanity Fair, presenting a vision far removed from the identical pigtailed girls the world met on Full House. The sisters, now 37, appear strikingly elegant and almost unrecognisable from their childhood selves, embodying their successful reinvention as revered fashion designers.
The duo, who became household names before they could walk, have spent the last two decades deliberately stepping away from the Hollywood spotlight. They sat down with the magazine not to promote a new project, but to reflect on their extraordinary lives and the conscious decisions that led them to found their luxury fashion empire, The Row.
The Deliberate Escape from the Spotlight
Ashley Olsen explained their retreat from acting, stating, "We were on sets, we didn't have social lives. We were working, that was our normal." This intense, work-centric upbringing led them to a pivotal choice: "We had to step away to be taken seriously as businesswomen and designers." They consciously traded the script for the sketchpad, a move that baffled many but made perfect sense to them.
Dispelling the 'Screwed Up' Child Star Myth
When confronted with the well-trodden narrative of child stars succumbing to the pressures of fame, the sisters offered a refreshingly clear-eyed perspective. "We're not screwed up," they asserted. Mary-Kate elaborated, "I think there's a part of you that almost has to be okay with being the underdog or being misunderstood... It's not something that we ever really focused on, what people thought of us."
Their secret, it seems, was a powerful support system and a shared journey. Ashley credited their resilience to having each other, calling it "a great tool, to have a partner that understands what you're going through."
A Life of Quiet Luxury and Artistic Control
The feature paints a picture of their current life: one of refined, almost monastic, privacy and impeccable taste. They reside in stunning, art-filled New York homes, have a close-knit circle of friends, and have earned the respect of the notoriously fickle fashion industry. Their brand, The Row, is synonymous with quiet luxury, a philosophy that mirrors their own lives—understated, controlled, and fiercely private.
Their Vanity Fair cover and interview are a masterclass in controlling their narrative. They chose to return to the public eye on their own terms, showcasing not the child stars of the past, but the formidable women and business pioneers they have become. It is a powerful statement that the most successful reinvention is one you design yourself.
