American based fashion label, The Row is eating European luxury houses alive. How did Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen manage to exchange their celebrity status to Luxury label connoisseurs?
About Silent Luxury
The era of silent luxury takes its routes from the ever-changing connotations we make with the word ‘Luxury’. What it means and looks like seems to be constantly changing and evolving. The Fashion Industry has seen luxury portrayed in many ways throughout the decades.
The portrayal of wealth is no longer represented through overt labels, or massive jewels. Instead, it’s becoming something a lot less obvious. This has created an aura of ‘if you know, you know’. Brands such as The Row, Maison Margiela, Bottega Veneta, and Ferragamo all explore this feel of Machiavellian chic.
What these brands have in common is their shared elegance, nobility, and luxury. They are explicitly curated for those with money but do so without screaming. This mysterious illusion adds to the backbone of our modern version of luxury that exists outside of just the wardrobe, but in every aspect of modern life. Those with the advantage to curate and dictate their lives tend to choose simplicity, and quiet, over bling and loud.
The ultimate result of this growing trend is a statement of affluence and exclusivity. Marked by expensive materials and muted tones, this aura is often referred to as stealth wealth.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s The Row – Silent Luxury
The Row is an American luxury fashion label established by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in 2006. Based in New York City, the brand offers ready-to-wear clothing, footwear, handbags, and accessories. The name itself was patented after Saville Row, a street in London best known for its tailoring spots. The central concept of the brand is that of discreetness. The Row put out its first fashion show in 2010 and has since then kept its presentations small and intimate. Most of them are held in a small studio space in the west village. The purpose of the show is not to have thousands of photographers, audiences and critics watching, but instead to display their art, their hard work, and their curation to a carefully selected crowd.
Known best for its quality and reputation of putting both fit and fabric above all else, The Olsen Twin’s brand journey for perfection has resulted in immaculate tailoring in all their pieces. Classic staples, such as a trench, button down shirt, suit pants, are all crafted with unique detail and precision.
Silent luxury: the new take on high fashion
Silent luxury has spread its way through from Hollywood to the runway, to the streets like a wildfire. From Brands like Gigi Hadid’s Guest in Residence to Gwyneth Paltrow’s chic court attire, celebrities are all jumping into this new wave headfirst. With the rise of social media, and reality tv, the world of the one percenter has become more accessible to a larger audience. With this shift of exclusivity, a change can simultaneously been seen in the fashion world. Audiences have learnt to understand and appreciate that luxury doesn’t necessarily mean bringing every element to the table. The real luxury is knowing what to bring to the table.
This ‘new take on luxury’ isn’t actually all new. During the previous financial crisis in 2007-2008, those with money didn’t want to scream wealth, instead they wanted to appear more subdued. This is something we are seeing once again. With the economic circumstances getting increasingly more divided, the look of ‘discreetness’ has become all the more crucial.
Silent Luxury – The Row and the Olsen Effect
The manner in which both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen operate aligns with their brand. In a time where everyone has an online presence, especially those in the Hollywood crowd, the Olsen Twins have done a job of remaining under the radar. This aura of mystery contributes to The Row’s aesthetic. The key to elegance and class has shifted to an ‘under the radar’ way of living.
Although sometimes tricky to pin down this particular trend, its core foundation is anything but complicated, and exists above all as an overall ‘mood’. This can sometimes be referred to as ‘off duty’ chic. Some of its key pieces may include; a waist cinched blazer, a clean-lined skirt, a pair of classy loafers, a pair of simple vintage jeans, and some form of nonchalant pants.
Above all else however, is the manner in which these pieces are worn. For this look to be completed successfully, there is a certain ‘je ne said quoi’ that its client must adopt. An ease and elegance seen in each step and maneuver.
Silent Luxury: an obsession with influencing and aesthetics
This trend of ‘quiet luxury’ ties in impeccably with our society’s newfound obsession with aesthetics. Through social media and the rise of influencing as a form of career, we have found ourselves in a time where just about anything can fit into a very particular form of aesthetic.
‘Off Duty’ core, ‘Cottage Core’, ‘Cluttercore’, ‘Normcore’, are all examples of this newly adopted form of aesthetic language. Perhaps this is a means to make sure everyone fits in, in some shape or form, to a type of community. ‘Silent Luxury’ embodies this aesthetic effect. The trend isn’t reliant on merely the clothes or brands being used to curate and piece together the look, but instead depends just as much on the aesthetic it attempts to evoke.
The green aspect of fashion’s new take on Silent Luxury
What makes The Row, and all its sister brands marching towards the world of quiet luxury so very appealing, above all else, is its focus on becoming a permanent part of an individual’s wardrobe. The Row does not operate based on trends. Instead, it operates based on staples. The brand is dedicated to creating pieces that its shoppers have no choice but to collect. The Olsen Twins’ close attention to detail and fabric mean these pieces are truly built to last. Due to its prices, purchases with The Row tend to be planned out and exact. Its purpose is not to buy and buy and buy, just to later throw out what you bought last fall as soon as the spring season comes in.
Creating this environment of shopping to last is a massive step in the right direction in terms of our planet and focus on waste. This seems to be working in this direction not randomly, but due to the climate of our planet and the way in which designers, celebrities, actors, artists have shifted their way of thinking. Having money to spend means having the luxury to choose where to spend it. This shift in mentality can be seen spreading through all industries. Less is becoming more.
Designing clothes to last a lifetime takes a great deal of focus on fabric and craftsmanship. These elements require a lot of manpower and labor, resulting in the prices of the clothing. Although these prices mean that only a privileged few can afford to purchase the products, unlike many designer brands that alienate women who are not of a certain size or shape, The Row makes sure to craft its clothes for a great variety of shapes and sizes.
A Cult Following – The Row and the secret club
The Olsen Twins have created a brand that has remained true to its very first vision, through thought and attention to every detail of how they would be represented, how they would be designing, and who their customer would be. This constant DNA, alongside the Olsen Twins ability to stay under the radar has created the effect that those who wear The Row are part of a ‘secret club’. It’s this very intimate feeling they’ve created, making customers feel welcome and smart in their choices.
With a world of endless options of what to buy, and where to buy it from, it’s become a major advantage for a brand to know exactly who they are and not to be intimidated or influenced by what’s happening around them. Customers are seeking now, more than ever for brands they can connect with. Brands that they want to stay loyal to. This ties in with Hollywood’s obsession with wealth, and social media’s obsessions with influencers, and Fashion’s newfound obsession with quiet.
The Row’s fabrics – the emphasis on personal pleasure
Silks, Cashmeres, Wool and Camel Hair are the bulk of The Row’s fabrics. These have been chosen not only due to their sturdiness, comfort, and effectiveness, but have been chosen due to their allure. Silk against one’s skin is an objectively serene sensation. Likewise, there’s no comparable fabric to that of Cashmere, especially on a winter coat.
It moderates one’s temperature at incredible speeds and does so without the need for layering. These fabric choices are timeless. The manner in which the Olsen Twin’s designers successfully intertwine these timeless fabrics and shapes with avant-garde ready-to-wear pieces, is both piercing and remarkable.
The Row
It is an American luxury fashion brand founded by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in 2006. The Row produces ready-to-wear clothing, footwear, handbags and accessories. The label is based in New York City and is available in 37 countries.
