Jessica Rusick - Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: Chic, High-Fashion Designers

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Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439.
Copyright 2020 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Checkerboard Library is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing.

Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota
052019
092019

Design: Aruna Rangarajan, Mighty Media, Inc.
Production: Mighty Media, Inc.
Editor: Rebecca Felix

Design Elements: Shutterstock Images
Cover Photograph: AP Images

Interior Photographs: AP Images, pp. 5, 13, 21; Everett Collection NYC, pp. 7, 9; Getty Images, pp. 19,
23; Shutterstock Images, pp. 11, 15, 17, 25, 27, 28 (left, middle, right), 29 (left, right)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966465

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rusick, Jessica, author.
Title: Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: chic, high-fashion designers / by Jessica Rusick

Other title: Chic, high-fashion designers

Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Abdo Publishing, 2020 | Series: Fashion figures | Includes online

resources and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781532119538 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781532173998 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Olsen, Ashley, 1986- --Juvenile literature. | Olsen, Mary-Kate, 1986---Juvenile literature. |

Fashion designers--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Women actors- Biography--Juvenile
literature. | Women entrepreneurs--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Classification: DDC 921 [B]--dc23

Contents

Talented Twins

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are twin sisters and child stars who
became high-end fashion designers. Their designs are inspired by
comfortable fit and luxury fabrics. The Olsens are known for their
simple, elegant, well-made clothing.

The Olsens have been in the spotlight since they were babies.

They became beloved child actors starring in the TV show Full House.
Olsen twins products dominated the

tween market. There were

movies starring the twins, dolls that looked like them, and fashion
inspired by them. The Olsens became style icons to young girls!

As the Olsens grew, their senses of style did too. The twins turned

their passion for designer clothes into a fashion empire. Today, the
Olsens run two successful lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James.

For much of their lives, the Olsens have been fashion trendsetters.

Their designs have earned them many awards and a spot among
Americas top designers.

Ashley ( left ) and Mary-Kate
Olsen have won several
fashion awards for their
clothing brand The Row.

Child Stars

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were born on June 13, 1986, in Sherman

Oaks, California. They are sororal twins. Their parents are Dave, a
banker, and Jarnette, a former ballet dancer. Mary-Kate and Ashley
have two

siblings and two half-siblings.

The Olsen twins spent their early years on the set of Full House.

They were cast on the TV show at just six months old. Casting
directors chose the twins because they were friendly and energetic.

Mary-Kate and Ashley also looked enough alike to play the

same character. The girls shared the role of Michelle, the youngest

Ashley is the
older twin by a
few minutes.

daughter on Full House. The show began
filming in 1987, when the twins were nine
months old.

Many Americans liked Full House.

This was thanks in part to its young stars.
Adults and children alike were charmed by

The twins shared
the role of Michelle
because rules limited
how much time young
actors could spend on
a set.

Mary-Kate and Ashleys portrayal of Michelle. In 1991, a television
popularity rating system called TVQ ranked the sisters the second
most likable stars on TV! And as the twins got older, their likability
only grew.

Olsen Obsession

American audiences could not get enough of the Olsen twins. Young
fans related to the sisters and wanted to see more of them. In 1993,
Mary-Kate and Ashleys manager founded the company Dualstar.
This became the brand for the Olsens products.

In following years, the Olsens seemed to be everywhere! Starting

in 1994, they starred in a home video series called The Adventures

of Mary-Kate & Ashley. The twins first movie in theaters, It Takes
Two, was released in 1995. That same year, Full House ended.

Offscreen, the Olsens brand continued to soar. Fans read

Olsen-inspired books. They played with Olsen dolls. Fans were also
eager to imitate the twins style. When the Olsens wore

bandannas

in one of their movies, kids across the country bought bandannas
to match.

The Olsens were fashion trendsetters! In 2001, public interest

in the twins style led the pair to launch a fashion line. They called it
mary-kateandashley.

Mary-Kate
said starring
in movies as
a child was
as typical as
waking up in
the morning
and brushing
our teeth.

Tween Scene

Mary-Kate and Ashley had lots of fashion experience from their time
in Hollywood. On TV and movie sets, the twins were constantly being
fitted for outfits. Sometimes they changed clothes 12 times a day!

Television and movie stylists often had items from adult clothing

designers cut down and tailored to fit the twins. Through this
process, the Olsens learned about fit and gained an appreciation for
designer clothes. This helped them develop their own designs.

The mary-kateandashley brand