The Olsen Twins, those adorable little girls who took turns playing Michelle on Full House, are no longer so little. Now 15-years-old, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are exploring the world of fashion. The twins announced Monday that they will be bringing their fashion line to Wal-Mart in Canada in mid-February of this year.

Called ?Mary-Kate and Ashley,? their line is designed for girls, aged six to fourteen, but a boy?s line is in the works. The Spring 2002 collection will feature sportswear, sleepwear, swimwear, footwear, bodywear, intimates and accessories. The clothing line was released at Wal-Marts in the US in January of 2001 and was deemed highly successful by officials.

?We’re excited to be launching our line of fashion, home and beauty products to Canadian girls,? said Mary-Kate at a press conference in Toronto.

“We’ve loved filming so many of our movies in Canada and we’re thrilled to spend more time in Canada working with Wal-Mart,? Ashley added. They attended the press conference, dressed in matching elegant outfits but different colours, consisting of “Hippie? jackets and jeans and ?Jimmy Choo? heels, which were ?on sale,? joked Ashley.

?Mary-Kate and Ashley? is more than just a line of clothing. It?s part of a billion-dollar empire, ?Dualstar Entertainment,? that includes feature films, television series, home video movies and specials, several book series, posters, calendars, music videogames, fashion dolls and accessories, and soon board games, a magazine and their web site.

Robert Thorne, their manager and CEO of Dualstar, revealed that three major record labels are interested in signing the girls, but no deal has been signed. The girls expressed how they would not be a run of the mill pop act if they chose to be musicians. ?It?s not our style,? Mary-Kate said of the Britney Spears type of music. The Dave Matthews Band, U2, and David Gray are some of the artists they enjoy listening to.

The girls get help from Wal-Mart’s Judy Swartz when it comes to the actual designing of the clothes. ?There?s nothing that happens without [Mary-Kate and Ashley],? said Thorne.

With such a busy schedule that included exams last month, the girls are just like any other grade 10-students; they love their friends. ?We dance, do yoga, but we love hanging out with our friends,? Mary-Kate said, in regards to their favourite things to do with their spare time. Free time with the Olsens is a rarity these days, as the girls are set to film a movie for Warner Brothers this month, and are still hyping their clothes line at any chance they get.






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