At first blush, the fashions of the Olsen-twin-created luxury line The Row and Chanel have little in common. Think deeper though and you see that both brands have a clear image at the core of their designs. And a new development puts them even closer.
The Row sticks with its “quiet luxury” designs that feature high-quality materials without much visible branding. Could you picture The Row’s popular Margaux bag with a large plaque with the brand name? Probably not.
Chanel, on the other hand, provides louder luxury goods, with the classic Chanel codes repeated and on display. Imagine a Chanel flap without the CC logo clasp – it’s just another quilted flap bag with a leather-enlaced chain strap.
We (and the rest of the fashion industry) can debate whether Chanel has lost its way, and it has certainly lost its designer as we await an appointment, but rarely would you mistake a Chanel bag for that of another brand.
In any event, now there is another commonality. Bloomberg reports that Chanel’s owners, the Wertheimer brothers, have acquired a minority stake in The Row. The purchase was made through the Wertheimer’s family office in a funding round that values The Row at $1billion.
Now, whether and what this means for the future of the two companies remains to be seen. And we are not suggesting that either Ashley or Mary Kate Olsen are in the running to be Chanel’s next designer. But, this investment move seems interesting.
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- Maura Carlin posted 3 months ago
- last edited 3 months ago
