The Olsen Twins: A Lifetime of Style and Iconic Bags

With the establishment of The Row and Elizabeth & James and their invitation to join the Council of Fashion Designers in 2009, it should come as no surprise that the pair are the perfect style icons, with a sense of style that knows no bounds. Let’s take a retrospective look at the career of the most famous and fashionable twins in history before we dive into their iconic bag collection.

From Child Stars to Fashion Icons

When the twins were just nine months old, they were cast on the hit 80s/90s sitcom Full House. The two remained on the show, playing the role of Michelle Tanner for eight years. While acting in Full House, the pair established themselves as popular child stars and capitalized on their fame by releasing films, books, and CDs, only growing their wealth and cementing their celebrity icon status.

When Full House concluded in 1995, the pair continued acting in television and film until 2004, with the release of their film New York Minute. The twins began a shift from acting to fashion, a shift that had been long coming; the twins launched a clothing line with Wal-Mart for young girls and were chosen as the faces of Badgely Mischka.

The twins were invited to the Met Gala in 2005, which further catapulted their fashion icon status. Soon, they were seen at every major fashion event, and were heavily photographed by the paparazzi, always rocking a boho chic look and carrying an iconic handbag.

Between 2006 and 2007, the twins launched two fashion brands: The Row and Elizabeth & James. The Row, the twins’ high fashion couture house, was named for London’s Savile Row, while Elizabeth & James was a contemporary clothing brand that was inspired by the twins’ love of vintage fashion. The idea behind the creation of The Row came about in 2005 when Ashley challenged herself to create the perfect white tee.

Mary-Kate and Ashley won the CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2012 and 2015, as well as the Accessories Designer of the Year in 2014.

Outside of their fashion labels, the twins are known for iconic and memorable streetwear. As the pair are fiercely private, they often hustle from event to event, taxi to building, without stopping long enough for the perfect pap-shot.

The duo's sense of style began to bleed over into other fashion brands as well. Fendi had discontinued their iconic Twins tote, but when the Mary-Kate and Ashley began wearing it out and about, the brand brought the silhouette back in rotation.

From the mid-aughts and on, the twins could be seen in what was called boho-chic, which included oversized outfits, large sweaters, and oversized hobo bags clinging to their small frames. While their style has slowly gained a sense of refinement in the 2020s, their iconic street style inspired a generation of fashion lovers to push the boundaries of what it means to dress against type.

The Iconic Bag Collection of the Olsen Twins