Ashley Olsen stripped down to strike a few moody poses for the upcoming Summer issue of V MAN, which hits newsstands this Thursday. She chatted with Marc Jacobs about her forthcoming men's collection for The Row, and the two designers also touched on her work ethic and the differences between her and Mary-Kate. Here's more:
- On doing a "celebrity line": "The way I look at it, I had a career as a child. I had a career in an industry in which the media kind of. . . they're obsessed with the young girl thing. But when I turned 18, I moved to New York, and I haven't really done anything to be a celebrity. I've been transitioning from acting as a kid to doing something that I'm choosing for myself — to be a part of the fashion industry. . . the outside perception is very different because you do have celebrity brands, people like Jessica Simpson and Kimora Lee Simmons, and those are celebrity brands because they have their names on them."
- On working with Mary-Kate: "The Row is really something that I'm doing while my sister still wants to focus on acting. She's my partner in The Row, but she trusts me with the every day. I mean, I see her like ten times a day."
- On being different from her twin sister: "When I was 14, 15, 16, 17, it was harder because the two of us were still very similar. We had to work through what's special about us, and then the media had to work through it. . . I've never been one to engage the media to say that I'm different. I actually did the opposite and I totally went internal. I was like, "See y'all!" I want to be behind the scenes, and I don't want people to know anything about my personal life. I have a job, I take it very seriously, and I work really hard."
Ashley definitely puts in overtime as an ambassador for her brand, but we still enjoy the occasional public appearances with her man Justin.
Photos courtesy Sebastian Faena for V MAN, Summer 2009 Issue # 14
Jimmy Choo
Ed Hardy
Donna Karan
i love her - she's really trying to be more what people think of her, and that's a good thing
1i love these photos.
2i almost didn't recognize her
3Don't like the restylane lips, otherwise love the photos
4this is a girl worth looking up to
5she really does look like a troll, no joke...I like the photography aspect of the picture, that's all
6she looks like the kid in The Ring
7Considering how long they've been famous, I think she and her sister have handled their celebrity status really well.
8They do have trolls' faces. But at least she speaks intelligently and works hard. I respect that.
9I didnt recognize her at all on these photos.
10I can stand her more than Mary-Kate. I didnt understand Heath Ledger's death with that troll.
11I have always loved Ashley- she always seems like a cool girl with a good head on her shoulders.
12good interview. i prefer her over MK and i think its admirable that she's taking her job @ the Row so seriously. its nice to see young celebs who have their sh*t together.
13Great interview and she's looking great here
14i really admire her. I think she's doing a great job with her lines.
15Ashley is so full of herself. Is she distinguishing The Row from other celebrity brands? What’s the difference? If she wasn’t rich or famous she wouldn’t have a “fashion” line. She, nor her sister, weren’t students of fashion. They don’t know how to make a pattern or drape but all of a sudden they’re called designers. It’s all about the money so she’s no different than Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, etc. They’re all celebrities who turned to “designing” to make more $$$$. I just find it mind boggling that people actually buy their stuff.
16that's true...after Heath's death and the hoo haa around that, I really don't like the other one...
17Notice how the most of the pictures are side views. The frontal shots of her face are scary. I don't hate the Olsens, but they're not called trolls for nothing. They're not pretty so they should stick to designing or acting (insert laugh) and stay away from modeling.
18lefashionista... not to argue but i think she is just trying to seperate herself from that celebrity/designer category because she is ONLY designing clothes. she isnt acting she isnt singing she isnt doing anything besides working on her line. and how do you know she doesnt know how to make a pattern or how draping works? Either way it doesnt matter... because she isnt a seamstress.... she's the designer.
19i like ashley... i like that she isn't acting and just sticking to designing.
20I agree 100% with LeFashionista.
21LikeThoseShoes - Stella McCartney, Donna Karan, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen all know how to make patterns and drape. You have to learn those skill to be a legitimate designer, not just having the love of fashion or studying the business of fashion. But I guess they're all seamstresses to you.
Haha! Lefashionista posted the exact same comment on JustJared - sounds like a plausible argument but as some people replied
stacy @ 05/13/2009 at 2:08 pm ashley does know how to drape, make patterns, source fabrics, sketch, etc. how in the heck would you know what she knows how to do? i interned for her and she was soooooo smart!
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# 11 remember da truth @ 05/13/2009 at 2:46 pm Ashely went to NYU and was studying design, and the business of selling fashion, wasn’t she?
Also, she has had the experience since she was a teen of actually choosing the fabrics, the designs, working with those who are making the patterns and learning by doing it.
LOL!
22i thought she was studying architecture @nyu? no one commented, is that her real hair or a wig? did she go dark w/her hair?
23"Haha! Lefashionista posted the exact same comment on JustJared"
daise, I was about to comment on that too, but you beat me to it. I don't know why people try to give Ashley less credit than she deserves. Yes, she's rich, for crying out loud, we know. She's rich for a reason. Bottom line, she works hard, give her a break.
24wow she absolutely looks different in these photos!
25She looks so bad. It looks like she is in jail, showing her (invisible) handcuffs.
26she looks like a gelfling from the "Dark Crystal"!
27i think she's wrong to mention Kimora, who actually doesn't just attach her name to the brand. she works hard for it. i understand her feeling about celebrity designers though. its kinda nice she hasn't attached her name to it as it's not called ashley olsen.
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