Kyle and Lane Carlson (born December 24, 1978) are American identical twin brothers known as the Carlson Twins. They work together as male fashion models.[1]
Biography
The twins were born in Stillwater, Minnesota,[2] Kyle six minutes after Lane. The Carlson twins grew up with two older siblings, Aaron and Michelle, and a younger sister, Lynnaya.[3] Their mother Judy was a nursing assistant, and their father Rick owned a construction company.[4] The brothers attended Stillwater High School, and both graduated from Winona State University, majoring in business.[4] Kyle married model Jessica Hall in 2008, and they had a daughter in 2014.[5]
Career
The brothers began their modeling career when Lane was spotted in a mall in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and they then met with fashion scouts in January 2000 in Minneapolis. Their agent was David Love from Elite Model Management in Chicago.[4][3] The twins then became internationally successful models, and they quickly became gay icons due to the often homoerotic imagery of their photoshoots, despite both being heterosexual.[4][6] As with the Brewer twins, the Carlson twins first received public attention after modeling naked for photographer Bruce Weber.[7][8]
The Carlson twins have worked for Armani, Out magazine,[9][10] and Abercrombie and Fitch,[11] 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).[4] 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.[citation needed]
In 2002, Lane appeared as a contestant on NBC's Fear Factor; although he made it to the final round of the series, he did not win.[12] In 2005, the Carlson twins appeared on the WB Television Network's comedy program, Mobile Home Disaster.[13] In 2007, Kyle was regularly featured on the HGTV program, Deserving Design, with Vern Yip. Kyle's primary role on the program involved carpentry.[14][15] Lane is the executive director of Sunflower Children, which he founded with Helena Houdová, and in 2010 he promoted awareness of autism at a charity event, Sea Paddle NYC.[16]
