Quiet Luxury Is Back on Top and The Row Just Became Every A-Lister’s Uniform

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The Row's Winter 2025 Womenswear Collection

Fashion tends to flirt with extravagance, but lately, something quieter has been stealing attention. Think of a buttery cashmere knit, a sharply tailored blazer, wide-leg trousers that move with grace, and a minimalist one-toned bag that almost melts into the outfit.

The glitz is losing its grip, and the era of splashy logos is slowly dimming. What’s taking its place is a subtler kind of power—the kind found in clean lines, perfect tailoring, and fabrics that speak for themselves. 

Welcome to the age of “quiet luxury,” where classic wins over fleeting trends and craftsmanship speaks louder than any logos. The Row is arguably the most buzzed-about name in the quiet luxury movement, winning over discerning clients who appreciate a clean, confident, and timeless aesthetic.

The Row and the Rise of Quiet Luxury

The Winter 2025 womenswear collection opened with the kind of luxurious mystique The Row is famed for.
(Courtesy of @the row)

Founded in 2005 by sisters Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, The Row built its identity on elegant fabrics, precise cuts, and silhouettes that outlast trends.

Mary-Kate and Ashley may live life away from the spotlight, but their impact is impossible to miss. Amid a fiercely competitive luxury landscape dominated by centuries-old houses, The Row has carved out its own space. 

Within a remarkably short time, it has grown into the modern embodiment of “quiet luxury,” winning the hearts of both fashion insiders and Hollywood’s elite.

Back in 2009, Joe Karban—who was The Row’s production manager at the time and now serves as vice president of sourcing and production—told The New York Times that “everything Mary-Kate and Ashley do turns to gold.”

Karban added, “The kids on the team are really passionate about making clothes. How do you set a proper sleeve? How does a fabric perform? It’s the art of making clothes as opposed to making everything cookie-cutter.”

The Art of Restraint—Why Minimalism Feels Luxurious Again

The Row’s Winter 2024 collection distilled its message to pure simplicity, yet every detail carried unmistakable luxury.
(Courtesy of @the row)

Quiet luxury is not simply “plain.” It’s precision: shoulder seams that land exactly where they should, trousers that hang with weight and clarity, cashmere that retains its shape season after season. The Row has made those nuances legible. The brand’s design language leans into quiet luxury, creating pieces that exude value without relying on visible branding.

While others chase attention, The Row stays grounded in touch, movement, and longevity—qualities that experienced shoppers sense instantly when they try something on.

The phone-free runway fits perfectly into that philosophy. By asking guests to set their devices aside and truly watch the clothes move, The Row turned fashion week into something almost intimate—an experience rooted in presence rather than spectacle. 

Reports from Paris mentioned notebooks and pencils placed on seats, along with a polite request to avoid filming (per PEOPLE). The bold move indeed sparked debate, but in the end, it only deepened The Row’s image as a brand devoted to presence, craftsmanship, and control.

Quality Pieces That Replace the Need for Branding

The Summer 2024 womenswear collection trusted the clothes to do the talking.
(Courtesy of @the row)

The Row’s entire identity is built on the art of making. Its materials and methods follow a clear order: fabric first, tailoring next, everything else after. The result is a kind of luxury that only reveals itself up close—the inside of a seam, the behavior of a knit, the way a sleeve head sits. 

Those choices aren’t marketing gloss; they are the product. When a brand forgoes loud logos and shiny hardware, the craftsmanship itself becomes the quiet marker of status.

The ethos translates directly into form. Consider the Margaux family, defined by proportion, structure, and practicality—the belted side gussets let the bag expand or contract without breaking its line. 

Even the sizing follows the same logic. Each style is named for its base length in inches (10, 12, 15, and 17), with exact measurements detailed to ensure a perfect fit. When numbers enter the narrative, it’s because fit and function are non-negotiable.

The Row’s Secret Weapon: Discretion in an Age of Excess

The Row’s Winter 2023 womenswear collection leaned into standout design moments, and it’s safe to say it left a lasting impression.
(Courtesy of @the row)

In an era when “content” often overshadows the clothes themselves, The Row’s refusal to play that game has become its edge. 

The no-phone runway—now a consistent part of its show formula—keeps the focus in the room, not online, heightening the sense of scarcity and privilege. It’s a divisive approach, but its repetition (and the buzz it creates) proves how control over visibility can sharpen desire. The absence of instant images has, in itself, become part of the brand’s mystique.

Discretion extends to the founders themselves. They rarely sit for interviews or step into the spotlight, leaving the work to tell its own story. In luxury, silence can be powerful—it signals focus, discipline, and a commitment to things that last longer than a headline.

Despite founding a globally acclaimed fashion house, the sisters have chosen a quiet path, keeping their focus on the work rather than fame. After their early acting years, they intentionally withdrew from public attention to build a fashion empire. 

As Mary-Kate shared in a 2021 interview, “We were raised discreet people.”

In many ways, that decision mirrors the brand itself. “I think that potentially that's just our aesthetic, our design preference,” she explained. “But that doesn't mean that we don't also appreciate something truly ornate or maximal. Sometimes a collection even starts quite like that, and then gets pared down. It doesn't always start from that simplistic place.”

Celebrity Devotees and the Power of Subtle Influence

Jennifer Lawrence made a case for quite luxury by wearing a $33,000 The Row bag, the label’s $520 black tee, and a statement fur shawl.
(Courtesy of Marie Claire)

Celebrity adoption has been decisive, but even that operates at a lower volume. Case in point: Jennifer Lawrence, who made the argument for quiet luxury with a five-figure The Row bag in hand. 

The Hunger Games star’s base layer was a plain black T-shirt that wasn’t so plain at all—the $520 The Row tee known for its refined fit—worn under a shoulder-grazing black fur stole. The effect read effortless and season-ready, exactly right for September’s swingy weather.

She’s hardly alone; Kendall Jenner is another devoted fan of quiet luxury. The fashion mogul recently carried a tan Marlo while vacationing in Europe—a relaxed spin on the Margaux that keeps the curved shape and adds expandable sides for real-life carry. And yes—the iconic Margaux remains in Kendall’s regular rotation.

That feedback loop now stretches beyond a single bag or season. The moment The Row’s Dune sandal hit the internet this spring, it was more than a minimalist rubber flip-flop with a textured sole. 

The brand’s accessories keep rising to the top, and Lyst’s data backs it up: after evaluating more than eight million online product listings alongside social posts and search queries, the platform crowned the Dune sandal the “quarter’s hottest product.” Searches, according to Lyst, jumped an impressive 162 percent.

Jennifer Lawrence was among the first celebrities to step out in The Row’s Dune sandals this year—no surprise here. Meanwhile, Zoë Kravitz owns the sandals in both black and red, while Lori Harvey styled hers with baggy jeans for that perfectly undone vibe.

Why The Row’s Silence Is Its Strongest Statement

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the famously elusive twins behind The Row.
(Courtesy of E! News)

The brand’s most radical move isn’t a silhouette; it’s a stance. By limiting social media from the runway and allowing official imagery to arrive on its own schedule, The Row makes space for slow looking. 

Critics and observers have parsed this choice from every angle, but few deny that it underlines the label’s unique position in a hyper-mediated industry. Silence, here, is not absence; it’s authorship. 

The strategy works because the product can carry it. When an impeccably tailored coat or a perfectly proportioned tote is placed in a gallery-like space, the setting becomes part of the story. There’s no need for gimmicks or grand narratives—just the quiet revelation of the final product.

Is The Row’s Margaux Officially the “Next Birkin”? All Signs Point to Yes

The Row’s Margaux bag has become a full-blown A-list obsession.
(Courtesy of Vogue)

Every fashion house has its crown jewel, and for The Row, that honor goes to the Margaux tote.

Lyst named the Margaux the hottest product of Q4 2023, recording a remarkable 198 percent year-on-year surge in searches—thanks in part to its ever-growing celebrity fan base. Online chatter has since given it a new nickname: “the next Birkin.”

The Margaux bag nails the balance between ease and elegance, serving as the key piece for achieving that understated, polished vibe. Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence are rarely seen leaving their apartments without one, while Hailey Bieber—ever the luxury handbag devotee—has built an enviable collection of The Row’s signature designs.

Since its debut, the Margaux has been reimagined in an array of colorways and materials, securing its place as a mainstay in The Row’s accessories lineup. It comes in four sizes—10, 12, 15, and 17 inches—and is crafted in suede, luxurious leather, or a canvas-leather blend. 

From sleek black and earthy mocha to supple cuir, golden cognac, deep marine, bright orange, and creamy ivory—the Margaux’s color range makes picking just one feel delightfully impossible.

Shop The Row’s Most Coveted Styles (Minus the Luxury Price Tag)

Pre-loved Margaux beige brown leather handbag available on ZenLuxe.

For those who love The Row’s refined aesthetic but not the price tag, Japan-based luxury platform ZenLuxe offers the perfect alternative.

With an extensive selection of original, pre-loved The Row staples, global shoppers can now indulge in quiet luxury at a far more attainable price. Discover everything from the cult-favorite Margaux bag to ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories—all authenticated to the highest standards and shipped worldwide.

TV personality Carly Steel counts ZenLuxe among her favorite ways to shop, recently praising the platform on Instagram for its rare second-hand treasures.

“I'm a bagaholic,” she began, “and [I] love sourcing rare, unique, authentic pre-loved luxury bags in seasonal colors in impeccable condition at the best prices, which is why I mainly shop from Japanese vintage sellers & my favorite is ZenLuxe.”

About The Writer

Meet Mariam — a fashion writer who lives and breathes all things vogue and glamour. For her, the most therapeutic aspect of fashion goes beyond simply shopping for the latest styles that appear in stores; it’s fully experiencing this glamorous world from the little details to the big moments (there's nothing quite like the thrill of flipping through a sleek fashion magazine, is there?).