Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are NET-A-PORTER.COM's latest cover stars

This week's edition of NET-A-PORTER's digital magazine, THE EDIT, under Editor-in-Chief Lucy Yeomans, features successful businesswomen and fashion designers Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen in pieces from their covetable brand, The Row.    

In an exclusive interview, Ashley and Mary-Kate discuss their acclaimed brand. "We saw a space in the market," says Ashley. "We knew there wasn't another brand offering basics in a luxurious and contemporary way. If I wear certain designer brands, or too much of something, I look crazy, and I need something to break it up. If you are wearing a Chanel jacket and you need an anonymous piece that will show just how special that jacket is, I hope that is what The Row gives you."   

At 27, the sisters have been famous since they were both cast to play Michelle Tanner in the US sitcom Full House at just nine months old - allegedly due to neither crying when being held by a television executive. They've been involved in fashion since they were six years old. "[On Full House] we would be in six-hour fittings three times a week, because we had to wear 12 different outfits," Ashley recalls. "We were designing clothes for ourselves as we were so petite," Mary-Kate adds. "So I think that is when we became obsessed with fit, and now the obsession has become a profession." 

Growing up in the spotlight comes with its share of paparazzi attention. "There is a threshold in New York, and once you pass that and are considered a New Yorker, they leave you alone," says Ashley. "But we're at the office every day, then home or out for dinner, so there aren't the opportunities for them to take pictures. For the most part you try and avoid it...[I do], at least."  

Ashley reflects on their rise to fame. "We were nine months old when we started, so fame has always been part of our lives. There wasn't any weirdness where we decided that we wanted to be famous," Ashley explains. "Then as we got older, we were very fortunate that we could hire and work with amazing people who want to protect us."

Now they are using their experience to help young people build their businesses. "I sit on a couple of boards, and [whether it is a] jewelry or furniture designer, we figure out who they need to talk to," says Ashley. "It's nothing for us to pick up the phone, but it means a lot to do it," pitches in Mary-Kate.

When asked if they've been approached for high-profile design positions over the years, Mary-Kate answers steadily that they are just "really focused on The Row at the moment". Ashley, however, smiles cheekily and finishes her sister's sentence: "But we could probably help them a little..."   

Source Net-a-Porter