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T H E P O W E R L I S T
W O M E N I N F A S H I O N
4. The Olsen Sisters
The Queens Of All Things Teen
They may have worn Fendi and Versace to their sophomore prom, but
in the tween and teen fashion lines they sell through about 2,900
Wal-Mart stores nationwide (and 5,300 stores globally), the
hard-driving Olsen twins take it down a couple of notches. "It's
not a high-end thing," explains Robert Thorne, CEO of Dualstar
Entertainment Group, parent company of all Mary-Kate and Ashley
items. "We want to be available to everyone, not just the
beautiful people."
It's a strategy that has paid off: the mary-kateandashley brand
is the fastest-growing fashion line for tweens (ages 6 to 12) and
teens in the U.S., racking up at least $400 million in sales at
Wal-Mart last year. With low-priced apparel flying off the
shelves in select stores in Canada, Britain, Australia, New
Zealand, Mexico and France, and a billion-dollar empire that
includes apparel, accessories, fashion dolls, videos and DVDs,
the Olsens are among the most powerful women in fashion. Their
personal fortunes are estimated at $150 million each—and they
don't turn 18 until June.
—By Jeanne McDowell
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