Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were household names.
The identical twins, who got their start on Full House and later starred in a slew of Hollywood films (New York Minute, anyone?) were everywhere—from magazine covers and street style pages to attending red carpets. But in the late noughties they faded out of the limelight, deliberately so.
While their names would crop up from time to time (and very sporadically we’d see a small appearance here and there) the twins appeared to be focussing on their own passions away from the entertainment industry.
All power to them, because what was born from that was a successful fashion brand, The Row. Mary-Kate and Ashley had shed their on-screen personas in order to focus on their careers in fashion, something they both felt a much deeper affinity with.
More than a decade later, they’re 35 years old with a business that truly speaks for itself. Here, we take a look at what Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are up to nowadays.
They co-founded and own a fashion brand, The Row
Named after London’s high end elite shopping hub, Savile Row, Ashley and Mary-Kate launched their fashion brand back in 2006. According to reports, it was born from Ashley’s desire to create the perfect white tee-shirt. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing they managed to achieve.
The pair kept their names out of the limelight in the early years of The Row, not even giving a full interview about the brand until several years into its existence.
They’ve since won several prestigious fashion awards, including the honour of the Council of the Fashion Designers of America.
The brand’s latest emergence in the public sphere? Their sister Elizabeth Olsen wore the brand to the 73rd Primetime Emmys in September 2021. Sibling support never looked so chic.
They still attend red carpets from time to time
Mary-Kate and Ashley’s time in the spotlight—and therefore attending multiple red carpets—was at a peak post-Full House. And despite having left that life behind, the twins have still been known to make a public appearance or two in recent years.
In fact, both are regulars at the annual Met Gala charity dinner, which sees some of the biggest names in the fashion and entertainment world come together for a red carpet spectacle.
Our favourite appearance? The 2018 event where the theme, ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination’ saw them wear striking bohemian-style ensembles—Vintage Paco Rabanne to be precise.
Mary-Kate married, then divorced Olivier Sarkozy while Ashley is in a relationship with Louis Eisner
Mary-Kate and Olivier (the brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy) began dating in 2012 and married in 2015. Of course, given Olivier’s status in Europe as the brother of a major politician, the pair garnered plenty of media interest together.
In 2020, it was revealed the couple had decided to separate, with their divorce finalised in 2021.
Meanwhile Ashley has been dating 32-year-old artist, Louis Eisner for several years. Details about their relationship are scarce given Ashley’s incredibly private nature, however RadarOnline claimed the couple began dating back in 2017 after meeting via mutual High School friends.
Mary-Kate and Ashley’s sister Elizbabeth has now entered the entertainment industry
In lieu of two comes another extremely talented Olsen who has taken the screen by storm. Elizabeth Olsen, who is three years younger than the twins, began acting in 2011 (around the same time both twins had pulled away entirely from the entertainment industry).
Her first breakout role was in Martha Marcy May Marlene, and she’s since become a household name for her major roles in several Marvel productions, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame. She also recently starred in critically acclaimed sitcom, WandaVision.
