Examining the no-phone policy that turned the famously private label into one of Fashion Week’s most talked-about shows.

Examining the no-phone policy that turned The Row into one of Fashion Week’s most talked-about shows.

Although seemingly at odds with the meticulous planning labels now do to ensure their latest collections end up on your feed at all costs—from models “falling” on the AVAVAV runway to Glenn Martens bringing explicit acts into the audience at <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/diesel">Diesel’s</a> latest show—the move has precedent. All the way back in 1993, for instance, <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/prada">Prada</a> famously kept photographers at a distance. Before that <a href="https://www.goat.com/brand/maison-margiela">Martin Margiela</a> eschewed the glamour of the runway altogether with an SS92 show held in an abandoned Parisian metro station.

What makes The Row's version notable, however, is that this isn’t a one-season experiment. More than two years since the Olsens banned phones, it's now a running practice, which changes how it reads. A phone ban that happens once is a headline, a fun story for insiders to whisper about at afterparties. A phone ban that happens every season says something about how a brand wants to be experienced. 
 
Predictably, reactions have been split. New York Times critic Vanessa Friedman pushed back when the policy debuted, while others have argued it stands apart from Fashion Week’s usual content-chasing frenzy exactly because it pushes people to focus on the clothes instead of their screens.

The no-phones policy isn't The Row manufacturing scarcity out of nothing either. Instead, it's an extension of a brand that has staked its entire identity on subtlety and borderline anonymity being the truest form of luxury that exists today. And in a world crowded with livestreams, instant reactions and critical takes, the Olsen twins have bet that restraint itself is something worth talking about. No logos. No campaigns. No phones. Every rule the Olsens have added has pointed at the same idea: let The Row’s clothes do the talking.

The Row Nafari Top 'Black'

The Row 90s Leather Shoulder Bag 'Black'

The Row Wmns Zipped Boot 'Black'

The Row Fiora Shirt 'White/Blue'

The Row Soft Loafer 'Black'

The Row Peggy Clutch Bag 'Hippo Grey'

The Row Faz Pant 'White'

The Row Bourse Phone Case 'Dark Brown'

The Row Eglitta Jeans 'Light Indigo'

The Row Bourse Bag 'Black'

Pencils Over iPhones: The Row’s Quietest Power Move

Pouch, Puddle Boot and Orbit. Daniel Lee, Matthieu Blazy and Louise Trotter. The pieces and creative directors defining quiet luxury.

Pouch, Puddle Boot and Orbit. Daniel Lee, Matthieu Blazy and Louise Trotter. The pieces and creative directors defining quiet luxury at Bottega Veneta.

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