Famous women have lugged their personals around in Hermès Birkins for decades—most recently Dua Lipa and Anne Hathaway, who have added charms to theirs in honour of Jane Birkin (the inspiration behind the bag), who often filled hers to the brim with beaded bracelets and tags attached to the handles.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are two such Birkin devotees, and have been known to carry well-aged styles (scuffed, crinkled and warped) over the years. But the sisters are behind another capacious tote doing the rounds of the fashion circuit right now: The Row’s Margaux bag. Now a signature of the luxury brand, which was founded in 2006, retailers often struggle to keep the bag in stock, while its starry fanbase continues to grow: Kendall Jenner, Zoë Kravitz, Rosé, Elle Fanning, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jennifer Lawrence, to name but a few.
The Margaux has been reinterpreted in various colourways and fabrications since it was first introduced, becoming a permanent fixture in the label’s accessories arsenal. At the time of writing, it is available in four sizes (10, 12, 15 and 17 inches), made from suede, buttery leather and a canvas-leather combination, in multiple colourways (among them: black, mocha, cuir, cognac, muschio, marine, orange and ivory) on their dedicated e-commerce site, which they relaunched earlier this year. Limited styles also feature across the 270 department stores that stock The Row and at their very-own flagships; blending in perfectly with the curated art and furniture that define their brick-and-mortar spaces in London, Los Angeles and New York.
The slouchy shape is immediately recognisable without the need for a stamped logo at its centre, and its price tag—currently upwards of $3,000—reflects the luxury price tags of the label’s ready-to-wear line. “The whole exercise was to see whether, if something was made beautifully, in great fabric, with good fit, it would sell without a logo or a name on it,” the Olsens previously explained to British Vogue, of carving their brand vision in the early aughts. “And it worked.”
“The Row’s Margaux bag has been incredibly successful as it perfectly caters to our customers’ desire for extraordinary everyday pieces,” remarks Libby Page, market director at Net-a-Porter. The retailer’s buy currently features 18 styles, some of which are tagged with “trending now”, “low stock” and “sold out” banners that signal their popularity. “Our customers love to shop accessories with emotion, and bags are an investment that instantly update an outfit and take it to something new,” she adds. Heather Gramston, senior head of men’s and women’s buying at Browns, echoes her sentiment: “The Margaux bag has become one of the most recognisable accessories for The Row,” she says, noting that suede is a “firm favourite” among Browns shoppers.
The key to the Olsens’ success? They pay close attention to their customer’s needs, providing whatever they may require with each collection. As Mary-Kate previously told British Vogue: “I feel really fortunate to be very close with those women, and they really do dictate where we go season to season […] When we design, we’re designing for specific clients… We understand what their day looks like, how and when they travel”. Their loyals were clearly top of mind when creating the The Row Margaux bag—and it shows.
