The Olsen twins are Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, American former child actresses who became major teen stars and later highly respected fashion designers and businesswomen.

Who they are (in a nutshell)

  • Full names: Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen.
  • Born: June 13, 1986, in Sherman Oaks, California.
  • They are fraternal, not identical, twins.
  • Best known first as child actors on the sitcom Full House , and today as fashion designers behind luxury brand The Row.

How they became famous

  • As infants, they shared the role of Michelle Tanner, the youngest daughter on Full House (aired 1987–1995).
  • Because of child labor laws, they took turns playing Michelle so the character could be on screen more than one baby legally could.
  • While still kids, they starred together in TV movies and straight‑to‑video films like To Grandmother’s House We Go , Double, Double, Toil and Trouble , and How the West Was Fun.
  • In 1995, they made their big-screen debut in It Takes Two.

Their business empire

  • In the early 1990s, they co‑founded their own production company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, which produced many of their movies and video series.
  • By around age 12, products under their name (videos, clothes, dolls, etc.) were estimated to generate about 1 billion dollars in retail sales per year.
  • Their names appeared on a huge range of tween products: clothing, accessories, fragrances, games, dolls, and more.
  • They have repeatedly appeared on rich‑celebrity lists and were ranked among the wealthiest women in entertainment in the 2000s.

From actresses to fashion moguls

  • In the mid‑2000s, they stepped away from acting and shifted their focus to fashion design.
  • In 2006, they launched The Row, a high‑end, minimalist luxury fashion label based in New York, now one of the most respected brands in designer fashion.
  • They also developed other fashion and lifestyle lines, including more accessible ranges and a clothing line for girls sold at Wal‑Mart.
  • Their fashion work has earned them industry awards and a reputation for very understated, detail‑obsessed design.

Their lives now and public image

  • As adults, Mary-Kate and Ashley keep their private lives very low‑key and rarely give interviews or use social media.
  • They live and work primarily in New York and remain deeply involved in the creative and business direction of their fashion brands.
  • Fans often contrast their ultra‑private approach with their childhood fame, and many online discussions praise them for stepping back from the spotlight on their own terms.

In internet and forum conversations today, the Olsen twins are often remembered with nostalgia for their 90s/2000s movies and at the same time admired as unexpected, serious fashion players who quietly built a lasting legacy in style and branding.

TL;DR: The Olsen twins are Mary-Kate and Ashley, former child stars from Full House who turned their early fame into a huge media and merchandise empire and then successfully reinvented themselves as influential, ultra‑private luxury fashion designers.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.