People keep feeding me crumbs indicating that The Row, Michael Rapaport’s favorite brand and maker of dozens of versions of the perfect navy cashmere sweater, is looking for some fresh capital with an eye on expansion in the Asian market. One of the potential investors was said to be Hong Kong-based entrepreneur Adrian Cheng, son of the billionaire developer Henry Cheng, but that rumor was quickly shot down by a representative and Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, the twin sisters who design The Row.
As far as I know, the Olsens have yet to find the right backer. But what I do know, after talking to various people familiar with the business, is that they have been trying to figure out what to do about financing for a while. And they are not interested, I’m told, in putting more of their own money into it.
