Olsens launch assault on Aussie market

September 26 2002

The world's most successful television twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, have announced their billion-dollar empire was poised for an assault on the Australian market.

The mary-kateandashley brand is already a hit in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States where the twins, now 16, rose to fame in the hit series Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995.

Since then, they've built a billion-dollar empire that includes clothing, movies, television shows, videos and books.

The pair flew into Sydney on Tuesday and arrived at the Opera House by boat to make their announcement yesterday, after a harbour cruise with 300 competition-winning fans.

They entered a specially-constructed glass marquee almost an hour late after their boat's skipper had difficulty docking.

"We're thrilled to be back in Australia, we love it here," Mary-Kate told reporters.

"We made a movie here about two-and-a-half years ago and we fell in love with it."

She said she hoped their products would enjoy the same success in Australia as they had in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

"We hope the Australian marketplace will embrace the mary-kateandashley brand fashion, lifestyle and entertainment range with the same tremendous passion we have seen in the US, Canada and Britain," Mary-Kate said.

The twins are fans of Kylie Minogue and The Vines, and yesterday asked for their CDs to be sent to their hotel rooms.

Both believed Minogue's popularity was on the rise in the lucrative US market.

"I think so, especially after being to the MTV Awards, I think she's going to get a lot recognition," Ashley said.

Robert Thorne, a former entertainment lawyer who met the twins when they were four, has guided their business interests ever since.

He said the mary-kateandashley brand would gross $US1 billion ($A1.84 billion) by the end of the year in Canada, the US and the UK.

From the end of November, Target stores across Australia will exclusively sell the fashion and lifestyle range, while entertainment products including videos and DVDs, dolls, posters, books and CDs will be sold in all retail stores.

"Target's strategy in fashion and lifestyle categories is not to be ahead of the trend but to define the trend," the retailer's managing director Larry Davis said.

"In partnering with the mary-kateandashley brand, we will continue to do just that."

The mary-kateandashley European-inspired designs will target 'tween' girls aged six to 14, and toddlers aged two to five, while lifestyle products were for girls of all ages.







The following clothing items were released in ranges to coincide with the different seasons.
This continued until mid 2005.
Target used an ascending 8 digit code number to differentiate each seperate item. Particular seasonal ranges can be assumed by the first four digits of the code.
Accesories items such as bags and hats later used a different 6 digit code.

All of the items pictured are from my own personal collection of mary-kateandashley brand.
The collection is not yet complete. Please leave comments, pictures or links to other missing items.
Thank-you,
supraman90.