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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have revealed how their backpack collaboration with Damien Hirst came to be.
The design duo behind The Row attended a celebration of their project in Hollywood earlier this week. The event was held in the historic art deco building owned by multimillionaire playboy Howard Hughes.
The venue is the home of Paola Russo's new destination retail concept Just One Eye, which is where the one-of-a-kind collaboration between fashionistas the Olsen twins and artist Damien is displayed. The idea is for the bags to be presented in a gallery style, although they can also be purchased.
"We started this project a year ago, so it's nice to finally get to celebrate with people," Mary-Kate told WWD. "[I'll be] forever grateful to Russo for choosing The Row as the first brand carried in Just One Eye. She has a vision, we have a vision. It's great that we came together."
The luxe art project, the brainchild of Just One Eye owner Paola, has elevated the status bags to another stratosphere.
The backpacks are listed at $55,000 on the Just One Eye ecommerce site. For this price buyers can choose from a pill covered black backpack or a snakeskin number.
Paola, who is working on a Converse collaboration with another artist, said several bags have already been sold despite the high retail price.
A black-clad crowd, many just back from Art Basel Miami, gathered in the gallery-like space to ogle The Row's 12 backpacks. Each of the pieces has been hand-painted and signed by artist and were perched on individual glass-covered pedestals.
Arriving at the event fashionably late, which was around half way through according to reports, the Olsen girls revealed their busy schedule had seen them finish another project with store Neiman Marcus the day before.
Ashley is already planning future business projects with her twin Mary-Kate.
"We're about to shoot our pre-fall look book, do sales, and then in February, we have our fall show again," Ashley explained. "I'm really ready for Christmas, which I'll be spending at home with my family."
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