Olsen Twins: How We Earned Fashion's Respect

Their clothes have been worn by the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama and Carey Mulligan, but according to Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, it took a long time for the fashion community to take them seriously.

"Initially, I wanted someone else to front the brand," Mary-Kate tells Newsweek of The Row, which generates an estimated $10-12 million annually. "We wanted someone else to rep it. But we couldn't lie."

Buyers were skeptical, questioning everything from where the garments were manufactured to the high costs of production.

"With the retailers, we dealt with some tough cookies," Ashley recalls. "Their attitude was, 'Who do these girls think they are?'"

"It definitely took time to earn people's respect," Mary-Kate adds.

Fortunately, the 24-year-old twins are finally being recognized for their design achievements: they received their first ever CDFA nomination this year. (They will face off against Joseph Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung in the Swarovski Award for Womenswear category).

Designing quality merchandise wasn't enough for the stylish duo; they also wanted to make sure the majority of their collection was produced on American soil.

"I really believe in our being able to create here and utilize the skills that people have here," Ashley explains. "The skill set is here. Our main issue is that some of the machinery is gone, so some knitwear is produced in Italy. But whether it's clothing or cars, I believe in manufacturing as close to home as possible."

"We really want The Row to be an American luxury brand," she continues. "We believe in not just American by representation but American by make."

Credit: Us Magazine

Billionaire Olsen Twins: We're Real Designers!

Unlike some celebrity clothing designers, Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are involved with each aspect of the apparel-making process.

As the head designers of three separate clothing lines -- The Row, Elizabeth & James and Olsenboye -- the 24-year-old sisters have brought in $1 billion in retail sales through their company, Dualstar. Still, Mary-Kate and Ashley tell Vogue's April issue that buyers weren't always so supportive of their fashion venture.

"We hired a showroom and talked buyers through," Ashley recalls. "People would drill us about fabric, where we'd make it," Mary-Kate adds. "The first season, customers bought it, so the stores came back. And drilled us again."

Still, the twins realized that with no formal design training under their belts, they were in for a tough sell.

"It's a fair question," Ashley notes, "but Dualstar started when we were six. And we had a collection with Walmart at 12, which was the upper tier of the tween market. It was before celebrity designers."

"And we were really designing it," Mary-Kate points out. "It would be jeans, a bit bohemian, or with a little blazer. It was really fashion-forward."

These days, the well-established sisters are finally being recognized for their achievements: they received their first ever CDFA nomination this year. (The twins will face off against Joseph Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung in the Swarovski Award for Womenswear category).

"It's classicist, no-bother stuff. I live in it," raves celebrity fan Lauren Hutton, who once modeled for the The Row's look book. "It's beautifully tailored in a modern way. It just fits, chicly. You know, I look up to them."

With rave reviews and celebrity fans like Carey Mulligan, the former child stars show no signs of slowing down in the near future.

"I want to run a studio," Ashley announces. "I'd probably like to manage other people on their brands. It could be an artist. A young designer. It could be an existing brand."

"The thing about us," Mary-Kate interjects," is we think big. Huge."

Credit: Us Magazine