Contents
Introduction
Aerie is more than just another clothing brand. Aerie has carved out a unique niche in the fashion world as a sub-brand of American Eagle Outfitters aimed at the 15-25 female demographic. Launched in 2006, focusing on intimates and loungewear, Aerie has expanded into lifestyle while staying true to its mission of celebrating natural beauty and empowering women to feel good inside and out.
In this analysis will explore what sets Aerie apart, from its radically inclusive advertising and social campaigns to its comfortable, customizable product lines designed to fit and flatter every body type. We’ll closely examine Aerie’s operations, from sourcing materials to customer engagement, and analyze the data behind its meteoric rise. Finally, we’ll gaze into our retail crystal ball to predict what’s next for this trailblazing brand on its mission to redefine societal beauty ideals for the modern consumer.
What Makes Aerie Different? Rethinking Fashion Marketing
While countless clothing lines target female shoppers, Aerie stands apart with its philosophical foundation of promoting a healthy self-image and genuine beauty. But this commitment extends beyond just feel-good messaging into the operational DNA of the brand.
Accurate Models, Real Bodies: Groundbreaking Ad Campaigns
Since its launch, Aerie has captured attention for showcasing actual customers as models, embracing diverse body types without digital alteration. This treatment has extended to all models, from 15-year-old activists to women in their 80s. Campaigns have also featured visible disabilities and conditions like vitiligo and mastectomy scarring as part of their goal to shift cultural beauty perceptions.
This determination earned Aerie the “Change Maker Brand” title from the 2019 Shorty Social Good Awards. Actress and body image activist Jameela Jamil proclaimed, “Aerie is the only brand making meaningful change out of all of them.”
Community Building On- and Offline
Aerie further lives out its empowering vision by cultivating an inclusive community experience online and in stores. Comments are enabled on Aerie’s Instagram account, fostering genuine interactions. Instagrammer @midsizefashionista shared: “The Aerie team is always so sweet when replying to comments and making sure we all feel beautiful.”
Aerie hosts in-person events promoting activism and creative arts alongside social conversations. Non-profit partnerships advance access, acceptance and policy reform around issues like equal pay, sustainability and eating disorder treatment. These initiatives attract passionate brand engagement while spotlighting vital causes.
Diverse Representation Inside and Out
Diversity commitments extend into Aerie’s internal organization as well. Their VP of Brand Marketing is Alegra O’Hare, a Latina leader with 19 years of experience across CPG, beauty and fashion CPG brands. Black female creatives are also increasingly leading influential campaigns.
This inclusive approach shapes external partnerships, too. Collaborations with disabled self-love advocate, Broadway performer Ali Stroker, and non-binary artist Chella Man spotlight intersectionality while co-creating limited-edition “Role Model” collections donated to charitable partners.
“Aerie gets diversity right – not just in words, but in actions,” shares body-positive TikToker @midsizestyleinspo. These coalition-building efforts authentically reinforce the brand’s cultural impact.
Tracking Wild Success: The Data Behind the Brand
While compelling creative has fueled attention on this label, Aerie’s meteoric growth relies on resonating products communicating comfort, quality and value across categories. Alongside intimates, Aerie has expanded into apparel, activewear, swimsuits and accessories while upending traditional retail data benchmarks.
Skyrocketing Sales Across Sectors
Aerie’s substantial sales velocity rapidly outpaced that of parent company American Eagle in recent years. By 2019, Aerie accounted for over a quarter of American Eagle’s total revenue, crossing the billion-dollar sales mark with 26% year-over-year growth. Intimates alone drove 45% of those sales, even amidst pandemic store closures.
| Revenue ($USD Millions) | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerie Total Revenue | 486 | 571 | 795 | 1,143 |
| American Eagle Total Revenue | 3,109 | 3,795 | 3,804 | 4,314 |
Activewear and off-duty collections saw intense expansion, too, as work-from-home wardrobes surged. Aerie’s sub-brand OFFLINE launched in 2019 but quickly became the brand’s second-highest volume label by 2021. This success confirms the marketability of athleisurewear embracing self-love over impossible beauty ideals.
Brand Reach and Loyalty
Alongside sales spikes, Aerie achieved astronomical growth across social platforms and email contacts, indicating their message resonates. Instagram followers skyrocketed 525% between 2016 and 2021, exceeding previous parent brand American Eagle’s reach. Email contacts tripled across that same period.
| Followers/Contacts | 2016 | 2021 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 665K | 4.1M | +525% | |
| 84K | 581K | +591% | |
| 1.7M | 5.8M | +241% | |
| Email Contacts | 7M | 21M | +200% |
This momentum continues, with 2022 forecasts projecting up to $2 billion in sales within two years. Data clearly shows that female consumers crave authentic empowerment messaging and are voting with their wallets to support brands advancing progress.
Inside Aerie: Sourcing, Standards and Sustainability
While compelling campaigns and quality products drive rapid success, the backbone of Aerie depends on reliable sourcing, supply chains and sustainability efforts. As expansion continues across 95+ US stores and 10+ countries, ethically scaling production remains a priority and a challenge.
Responsible Sourcing Standards
Aerie maintains detailed policies around ethical labour conditions, workplace standards and responsible material sourcing. Their published guidelines reference recognized third parties like Social Accountability International alongside internal auditing processes. However, some critics have called for more concrete certification commitments as expansion accelerates.
All suppliers must uphold standards like:
- Safe, healthy workplaces
- Freely chosen employment
- No child or forced labour
- Non-discrimination
- No harassment or abuse
- Managed working hours
- Adequate wages and benefits
While these outline crucial protections, expanded transparency could strengthen accountability as partners multiply. Providing supplier’s names, locations and ethical labels attained would enable more precise tracking on an ongoing basis.
Expanding Sustainable Materials
Alongside ethical labour, incorporating eco-friendly materials also anchors growing lines sustainably. Aerie’s current goal aims for 75% of materials sustainably sourced by 2025, including components like:
- Recycled fabrics – RPoly, Repreve
- Ethically sourced cotton
- Regenerated fabrics
They also test innovative alternatives like plant-based Ultrasuede and participate in textile takeback programs to repurpose used goods.
Again, sharing more specific data over time would build trust. What percentage of current materials qualify now? How many recycled bottles or reclaimed textiles were integrated last year? More precise tracking allows customers to gauge progress.
Cultivating Worker Dignity Worldwide
Finally, advancing human rights depends on empowering diverse makers themselves. Alongside responsible buying teams, brands can support expanded worker rights through community partners worldwide.
In 2021, Aerie co-designed a limited-edition collection with Nest, a non-profit defending artisan rights globally. Reinvesting proceeds aid in more comprehensive access for women artisans in emerging regions. Continuing programs like this offer a roadmap to cultivate economic inclusion across fragile supply ecosystems jointly.
While gaps exist, Aerie shows promising momentum in embedding ethics within exponential growth. Still, realizing lasting progress hinges on maximizing transparency while partnering creatively to address root inequities.
Predicting Aerie’s Flight Path: What’s Next?
While already redefining industry paradigms, Aerie shows no signs of stagnating with originality and empowerment, still driving innovation across products and platforms.
Pushing Product Evolution
Recent years introduced categories like swimwear, lush loungewear and Olympics-inspired OFFLINE activewear alongside classics like wireless bras and super-soft undies. We expect further advancements optimizing comfort and confidence across intimates and apparel via technologies like:
Body-Mapped Design – Precision fits suiting more bodies
Compression Performance – Targeted hold limiting distraction
Temperature Control – Breathability promoting activity
Customization – Made-to-order pieces matching unique curves
Through pioneering fabrics meeting women’s needs, Aerie keeps perfecting products promoting self-care while soothing environmental impacts.
Virtual Experience Innovation
Alongside material advancements, virtual channel expansion offers personalized pathways for connection. Aerie’s existing app allows digital fit scanning and consultation for global shoppers. Levelling up immersive and inclusive experiences could include:
Avatar Model Tech – Showcasing product fit on diverse 3D bodies
Virtual Shopping – Browsing photorealistic store environments
Live Streaming Video – Tuning into real-time brand events/influencer talks
AR Product Sampling – Previewing pieces on your shape via phone
Blending virtual capabilities with physical retail builds community beyond stores while removing barriers.
Spreading Real Role Model Inspiration
Finally, Aerie seems poised to diversify ambassadors further, remaking outdated ideals. Just launched lines co-designed by TikTok creator Remi Bader and gold medal skier Kai Owens forge fresh ground. Moving forward, we hope to see expanded partnerships uplifting change-makers like:
- Disability lifestyle creators
- Trans/non-binary activists
- BIPOC leaders across industries
- Sustainable innovation champions
- Borderless female empowerment warriors
By spotlighting “Real Role Models” already shifting culture for the better, the next decade promises bolder allyship, advancing positive change worldwide.
Future Looks Bright
In an ever-evolving retail landscape, few brands demonstrate clarity of purpose, propelling exponential success like Aerie. Aerie articulates a profoundly relevant message through a radically reimagined model by anchoring innovation in ethics while advocating for women’s dignity and inclusivity.
While challenges lie ahead in navigating growth amidst industry disruption, their principled foundation offers a moral compass guiding decisions. By investing in ethical supply chains, sustainable materials and expanded access unhindered by bias, Aerie seems poised to reach soaring heights on financial and social fronts in sync.
At the heart beats a simple yet profound proposition: fashion can phenomenally impact society while delighting consumers when grounded in authenticity, not artifice. May many brands take flight fueled by Aerie’s courageous example of positive transformation, taking wing through the power of community and undisguised humanity.
