14 DAY TRIAL // The Olsen twins Mary-Kate and Ashley are very proud of their fashion and accessories line The Row. They must feel the same for one particular item, a $39,000 (€29,570) backpack that has proved a sure hit with customers.
Though, upon launch, fashion critics found plenty to object against the girls’ pricing, which brought the backpack on the same level as Hermes’ offering, it turns out they were wrong, the Daily Mail notes.
Speaking with the journalists at Paris Fashion Week, the Olsens expressed their joy at having such an amazing commercial hit on their hands.
“It was the first thing that sold off the shelf,” Ashley said, immediately underlining that, during times of financial hardship, it’s usually high-end brands that are able to turn a profit.
“During our last economic crisis in the US, the only thing that went up was Hermes,” she added.
The fact that Ashley is a fan of the alligator backpack and she’s wearing it in public whenever she can, must surely have helped with sales since it helped spread the word on it.
Amanda Brooks, fashion director for Barneys New York, believes that the design of the backpack and the material it’s made from also made of it a classic piece, which instantly translates into a desirable accessory as well.
“I think if you were ever going to spend $39,000 on a bag, that’s the bag you should buy because I think you’d wear it for a really long time,” she said a while back, as cited by the aforementioned media outlet.
“There's enough design to make it interesting and beautiful but they truly are classic bags – and I think you also might be the only one who has it,” Mrs. Brooks added.
The rise in popularity of backpacks also helped the Olsens with sales for The Row, industry insiders say.