Ashley Olsen Quits Acting For Fashion

Ashley Olsen is abandoning her career as an actress to pursue her dream of fashion design full-time.

The 22-year-old grew up in the spotlight alongside twin sister Mary-Kate, starring in U.S. TV sitcom Full House at the tender age of nine months. The pair are already partners in women's fashion collection The Row, and now Ashley's taking over the reigns of the project while her sister continues to act.

She tells VMAN magazine, "I've been transitioning from acting as a kid to doing something that I'm choosing for myself - to be part of the fashion industry. That's what I want for my future. It has nothing to do with my past, nothing to do with anyone else's agenda. And I followed my heart the whole way. The Row is really something that I'm doing while my sister still wants to focus on acting. She's my partner in The Row, but she trusts me with the everyday. I mean, I see her like 10 times a day."

And Ashley, who is expanding the collection to include men's wear in the autumn (09), is urging critics not to dismiss her line as just another celebrity brand. She adds, "The outside perception is very different because you do have celebrity brands, people like Jessica Simpson and Kimora Lee Simmons, and those are celebrity brands because they have their names on it." (JMA/WNWCPL/IG)

Copyright 2009 WENN

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