Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are one of, if not the most famous, celebrity twins. The entertainment-turned-fashion moguls came into the spotlight as literal infants when they starred in Full House. While they used to be everywhere, now at 39, they like to keep to themselves. However, when they do make appearances, they make sure to do it in style.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThe twins have quietly stepped away from the spotlight while overseeing their company, which is now worth an estimated 1 billion. This week, they were spotted in a rare public outing in New York City and, like most instances, were wearing coordinated looks.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupMary Kate wore a long black coat layered over loose, wide-leg trousers. She added a soft contrast with a cream scarf draped around her neck, and finished the look with slim black sunglasses and flat shoes.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupAshley mirrored the same energy but with a slightly sharper edge. She rocked a structured black coat, with a black scarf paired with straight-leg blue jeans and polished black shoes. They both rocked large black leather Margaux bags from The Row in matching alligator.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThe sighting comes a few months after their latest public appearance at the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York City in November.
© WWDThe designers skipped the red carpet, slipping quietly into the American Museum of Natural History. Once inside, Mary-Kate and Ashley took home the American Accessory Designer of the Year award. It’s one of several CFDA honors they’ve collected over the past decade. Mary Kate made a short speech, saying, “To our friends and family - without your support, we would not be here today. You’ve been our guiding light over the past 20 years.”
From Full-House to Fashionistas
After Full House, the Olsens went on to make millions of dollars through video games, movies, and television, but their passion turned out to be fashion. Their first collection was in 2004 at Walmart, for girls 4-14.
That line ultimately marked the beginning of the rest of their lives, as they transitioned into businesswomen and are now the owners of a quiet luxury brand, The Row, which they launched in 2006.
After starting in the industry at just 9 months, the twins left Hollywood and moved to New York when they were 18 to study at New York University. Ashley told i-D in 2021, “We were 18 years old, and I think what we did know was that we wanted to take that time to take a break from what we were previously doing and to explore things that interested us, and explore what life has to offer…"
© GettyAfter years of headlines, paparazzi, and little privacy, the twins now live a discreet life and are strategic about everything they do. In Mary-Kate’s words, they are “discreet people – that’s how we were raised.”
Mary-Kate also described themselves as “perfectionists.” “I think we’re very much perfectionists. We’re hard workers, and we’ve always been hard workers. I’m happy that people look at it as a perfect product or products that feel complete, or whole.”
“I think the reason we do fashion is to constantly try to fix our imperfections. And you have next season to do that. But it’s also our job to find every imperfection in there to make sure that we’re constantly pushing ourselves and training our eyes and making sure everyone is served. Just evolving and learning," she explained.
Their private lives
© GettyOutside of their work at The Row, Mary-Kate and Ashley continue to live mostly under the radar. Ashley quietly welcomed her first child with artist Louis Eisner in 2023, a baby boy named Otto, keeping the pregnancy and birth private, with news of his arrival revealed in August 2023.
As for Mary-Kate, she finalized her divorce from Olivier Sarkozy in 2021 and has been focused on her work, spending most of her time in New York.
In February, she sparked rumors after she was spotted with Vito Schnabel, with DeuxMoi posting photos to Instagram with the caption, “DEUXMOI EXCLUSIVE…Mary Kate Olsen with Vito Schnabel early yesterday AM in NYC."
