Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash.
Aerie has grown into a nearly $2 billion brand by championing body positivity and rejecting heavily edited imagery, most notably through its 'Aerie Real' pledge to stop retouching photos. The brand is now extending that ethos by launching a campaign criticizing AI-generated imagery in fashion, featuring Pamela Anderson and emphasizing real, unaltered bodies. As Aerie becomes the primary growth driver for parent company AEO, it faces increasing competition from a revitalized Victoria’s Secret and other activewear and lingerie brands.
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A few years into her time overseeing American Eagle’s Aerie division, Jennifer Foyle felt the loungewear and intimate apparel brand needed to stake a flag in the ground to stand out in a crowded sector.Recommended Video It was 2014, at the twilight of Victoria’s Secret’s cultural dominance before a consumer backlash against unrealistic supermodel-led body standards had started to hurt the lingerie brand’s sales. Aerie was ahead of its time among mass-market brands: It had leaned into body positivity before that became a mainstream term by offering larger sizes earlier than peers, and focusing on comfort and fit, rather than sexiness in service to the male gaze.
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