Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Interview on Fashion

Mary-Kate and Ashley Talk Hobo Chic, Their Social Circle, and Olsen Power

May 26, 2011

Source: Getty, Pacific Coast News Online

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Mary-Kate Olsen teamed up with actress Catherine Keener last night for a party for Style Wars, a documentary about hip-hop and street art that was released in 1983. It was an evening of fashionable shoulder rubbing for Mary-Kate, who also spent time with New York Rangers player Sean Avery. Ashley Olsen skipped out on the dinner, but she was spotted in the city this morning heading to a meeting. Both Mary-Kate and Ashley have been busy doing press for their various collections and new online shopping venture StyleMint, and recently spoke about the massive time commitment maintaining their style empire requires. Mary-Kate and Ashley touched on their "hobo-chic" period, their wide group of friends, and the power of the Olsen brand. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen told Style.com:

Ashley on their long hours: "I don’t think it’s the creative process that has ever gotten to us. More than anything, it’s about trying to find balance with work and how we can personally stay balanced while having our corporations grow, and I think that’s been the biggest thing that we are constantly aware of. We have to put boundaries on scheduling. We work crazy hours every week, so it’s been more about figuring out when we need to put our foot down. “We can’t add this extra meeting. It’s one too many meetings in a day; push it later.” So it’s been about that. And with The Row, it’s about how to elevate the process with growth without putting too much on the overhead."
Mary-Kate on the Olsen brand: "All over the world I think people know us from different stages of our life and different things, whether it’s videos or Walmart or as designers or acting. . . I think it’s remarkable that children know us now from things that we did 20 years ago, when we were little guys."
Mary-Kate on her "hobo-chic" period: "For me, it was so cold, like the wind chill. How could you not put on 20 things when you’re going from Los Angeles to walking through the snow?"
Ashley on hanging out with other designers: "I mean, honestly, I don’t leave my house. . . . I’m friendly with a lot of people, but when it comes down to it, you won’t see me actually in that [scene] . . . our closest friends are in all types of fields. My best friend is in law school, the other one’s a Pilates instructor, the other one’s a yoga teacher, the other one works in production, real estate, an entrepreneur."

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by Allie Merriam 0

Ashley on their long hours: "I don’t think it’s the creative process that has ever gotten to us. More than anything, it’s about trying to find balance with work and how we can personally stay balanced while having our corporations grow, and I think that’s been the biggest thing that we are constantly aware of. We have to put boundaries on scheduling. We work crazy hours every week, so it’s been more about figuring out when we need to put our foot down. “We can’t add this extra meeting. It’s one too many meetings in a day; push it later.” So it’s been about that. And with The Row, it’s about how to elevate the process with growth without putting too much on the overhead."
Mary-Kate on the Olsen brand: "All over the world I think people know us from different stages of our life and different things, whether it’s videos or Walmart or as designers or acting. . . I think it’s remarkable that children know us now from things that we did 20 years ago, when we were little guys."
Mary-Kate on her "hobo-chic" period: "For me, it was so cold, like the wind chill. How could you not put on 20 things when you’re going from Los Angeles to walking through the snow?"
Ashley on hanging out with other designers: "I mean, honestly, I don’t leave my house. . . . I’m friendly with a lot of people, but when it comes down to it, you won’t see me actually in that [scene] . . . our closest friends are in all types of fields. My best friend is in law school, the other one’s a Pilates instructor, the other one’s a yoga teacher, the other one works in production, real estate, an entrepreneur."

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