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Born in 1986, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been entrepreneurs almost their entire lives.  From 1987 to 1995, America fell in love with the Olsen twins when they played the adorable Michelle Tanner on the hit TV show Full House.  However, television stardom was not enough for these enthusiastic twins.  In 1993 with the help of their manager, Mary-Kate and Ashley founded their first company, Dualstar Entertainment, to produce projects that leverage their own popularity.  This global brand management company made the Olsen twins the youngest entertainment producers ever at only 7 years old.  They played an active role at Dualstar, producing and starring in TV movies, home video series, albums, and music videos.  In addition to producing, they licensed their names to various products.  There were Olsen dolls, video games, books, and furniture.  They became the youngest self-made millionaires in US history before they were even 10 years old.

In 2001, the Olsen twins launched the first of many successful fashion lines, the mary-kateandashley brand for Wal-Mart.  By 17 years old, they were worth an estimated $150 million each.  Mary-Kate and Ashley became the youngest people ever to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  On their 18th birthday, they became co-presidents of Dualstar and gained full control of the company.

As the Olsen twins grew older, their fashion taste grew and developed as well.  In 2007, they launched their first couture fashion label The Row which featured luxurious basics for high-end retailers.  Within the same year, they started a new line for The Row called Elizabeth and James, which is a mid-range contemporary collection inspired by vintage pieces from their own wardrobes.  They also have a more affordable brand for the junior market, Olsenboye, available at JCPenney’s.  Mary-Kate and Ashley extend their expertise beyond their own label.  They have designed four collections of Linda Farrow for The Row sunglasses.  In addition, they have a t-shirt line StyleMint sold exclusively on its website.

Their hard work as fashion entrepreneurs has certainly paid off, being featured in Forbes countless times.  Mary-Kate and Ashley are nominated for CFDA’s coveted Womenswear Designer of the Year for The Row at the upcoming Council of Fashion Designers Awards.