The Row, the luxury fashion label founded by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, gave fashion lovers a closer look at the designers' taste through a special vintage archive sale. The collection brought together rare pieces from famous designers, showcasing the styles, shapes, and details that have shaped the sisters' approach to fashion.
First offered in January 2021, the selection included more than 30 vintage garments from fashion houses such as Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Martin Margiela and Issey Miyake. Instead of selling another new collection, the project let shoppers discover older designs chosen for their lasting appeal and strong links to The Row's clean, simple style.
Inside the Vintage Archive
The archive sale featured clothing from different decades, with pieces dating from the 1960s to around 2010. Among the items were a 1967 silk jersey dress by Madame Grès and designs that showed how leading fashion houses had played with shape, fabric and form over the years. Each piece offered a different view of fashion history while still fitting the quiet style that The Row is known for.
THE ROWが創作過程で参考にしたデザイナーズヴィンテージを自社公式ECで販売中。 pic.twitter.com/nFmaDLMyYv
— 八月 (@8th_month) October 14, 2026
The selection also included vintage Chanel, Pierre Cardin and Yohji Yamamoto designs, giving shoppers a chance to explore work from some of fashion's best-known names. The pieces were not all from one period or one style, but they shared a focus on strong design rather than bold logos. This mix helped show why the Olsen sisters value clothes that can remain appealing long after their first release.
Mary-Kate worked with Marie Blanchet, the founder of vintage business Mon Vintage, to put the selection together. The goal was to find pieces with special design details that would also feel at home alongside The Row's own collections. The project offered a rare look at the kind of clothing that catches the designer's eye beyond the label she runs with her sister.
The Olsen Design Approach
The Row was founded in 2005 and grew from the sisters' wish to create well-made clothing with a strong focus on fit and fabric. The label became known for its simple shapes, fine materials and careful tailoring, rather than large logos or loud prints. Its vintage archive selection followed the same ideas, showing how good design can last across many years.
Mary-Kate explained that the project focused on finding pieces with distinctive design qualities that fit the world they wanted to create at The Row. She also said the sisters had long valued working with artists, designers, and other creative experts to shape the experience of their stores. The vintage sale was another way to bring that wider view of design into the brand.
Rare Designer Pieces
One of the most striking parts of the archive sale was the range of designers represented in the collection. Chanel offered a look at classic French fashion, while Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto brought a more daring approach to shape and form. The mix showed that the Olsen sisters' interest in fashion goes beyond one look or one period.
The archive also included work by Martin Margiela and Issey Miyake, two designers known for exploring new ways to cut, shape and build clothing. Their designs have helped change how people think about the relationship between fabric and the body. Including their work gave the collection a wider view of the ideas that continue to influence modern fashion.
Curating an IG post about my favorite met gala looks from the Olsen twins and lemme tell you these queens wore vintage and The Row ofc. Ashley at the 2014 Met Gala wearing Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld s/s haute couture 1984!!!! ARCHIVE FASHION before it was cool to wear it on the red… pic.twitter.com/tTUkum818y
— Gaby (@blondiejpg) April 28, 2025
For collectors, pieces like these can be appealing because they offer a link to a designer's past work that may no longer be available in regular stores. Their value can depend on factors such as age, rarity, condition and demand. The sale made these older designs part of a wider conversation about the lasting worth of well-made clothing.
Why Vintage Still Matters
Vintage clothing has become an important part of fashion as shoppers seek pieces with history and a style that feels different from mass-produced trends. Buying an older garment can also extend its life, though each purchase's value depends on its condition, care, and how often it is worn. The Row's archive sale placed this idea alongside the label's focus on lasting quality.
The project also showed that a luxury fashion brand can offer more than its latest runway looks or new-season items. By bringing together work from other designers, The Row gave customers a way to explore fashion through pieces that had already stood the test of time. It also helped place the sisters' own design choices within a wider story of fashion history.
