Kyle and Lane Carlson (born December 24, 1978) are American
identical twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brothers known as the Carlson Twins. They work together as male fashion models.
Biography
The twins were born in
Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River, across from H ...
, Kyle six minutes after Lane. The Carlson twins grew up with two older siblings, Aaron and Michelle, and a younger sister, Lynnaya.
Their mother Judy was a nursing assistant, and their father Rick owned a construction company.
The brothers attended Stillwater High School, and both graduated from
Winona State University
Winona State University (Winona) is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first no ...
, majoring in business.
Kyle married model
Jessica Hall in 2008, and they had a daughter in 2014.
Career
The brothers began their modeling career when Lane was spotted in a mall in
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
, and they then met with fashion scouts in January 2000 in Minneapolis. Their agent was David Love from
Elite Model Management
Elite Model Management (MM) refers to two independent chain modeling agencies that originated as one in Paris, France in 1972 with subsequent locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Toronto. In 2004, the agencies in New York, Miami, ...
in Chicago.
The twins then became internationally successful models, and they quickly became
gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community.
The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...
s due to the often homoerotic imagery of their photoshoots, despite both being heterosexual.
As with the
Brewer twins, the Carlson twins first received public attention after modeling naked for photographer
Bruce Weber.
The Carlson twins have worked for
Armani
Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...
, ''
Out'' magazine, and
Abercrombie and Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Febru ...
, with the popularity of the twins increasing after they appeared together in Abercrombie and Fitch's now discontinued catalog, ''
A&F Quarterly'' (Spring Break 2001).
At the peak of their careers, the Carlson twins frequently worked as underwear models, with Calvin Klein reputedly preferring Kyle to front the company's underwear campaigns.
In 2002, Lane appeared as a contestant on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
Fear Factor
''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...
''; although he made it to the final round of the series, he did not win. In 2005, the Carlson twins appeared on the
WB Television Network
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros ...
's comedy program, ''Mobile Home Disaster''. In 2007, Kyle was regularly featured on the
HGTV
HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...
program, ''
Deserving Design'', with
Vern Yip
Vern Yip (born June 27, 1968, in Hong Kong) is an American interior designer based in Atlanta, Georgia. He periodically appeared on TLC's ''Trading Spaces'' through its fourth season, and was known for frequently including silk, candles and flo ...
. Kyle's primary role on the program involved carpentry. Lane is the executive director of Sunflower Children, which he founded with
Helena Houdová
Helena Houdová is a Czech supermodel and charity founder. After winning Miss Czech Republic in 1999, she went on to appear on the cover of fashion magazines including ''Elle'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Vogue''. She makes dona ...
, and in 2010 he promoted awareness of autism at a charity event, Sea Paddle NYC.
See also
*
Lane Twins
*
Brewer twins
*
List of twins
This is a list of notable twins, siblings resultant from a multiple birth.
Actors
* Kaya and Sarp Akkaya (1980–)
* Shawn and Aaron Ashmore (1979–)
* Conrad (1923–2013) and Bonar Bain (1923–2005)
* Gayle and Gillian Blakeney (1966–) ...
References
External links
*
*
* {{IMDb name, 1910485, Lane Carlson
Male models from Minnesota
Identical twins
American twins
Winona State University alumni
1978 births
Living people
People from Stillwater, Minnesota
Twin models