Deutsch: Aerie / Español: Aerie / Português: Aerie / Français: Aerie / Italiano: Aerie
Aerie is an American clothing brand that focuses on lingerie, activewear, swimwear, and loungewear. In the fashion context, Aerie is particularly known for its commitment to body positivity, inclusivity, and its refusal to retouch models in its advertising campaigns. The brand has garnered widespread recognition for promoting a more realistic and diverse representation of beauty, challenging traditional fashion industry standards that often idealize unattainable body images.
Description
Aerie, a subsidiary of American Eagle Outfitters, launched in 2006 with the goal of providing a fresh, youthful approach to lingerie and comfortable clothing. Over time, Aerie has distinguished itself in the fashion industry through its innovative and empowering marketing strategies, specifically the Aerie Real campaign, which promotes unretouched photos of women with different body types, skin tones, and abilities.
The brand’s focus is on comfortable, everyday wear that makes women feel confident and beautiful without conforming to unrealistic beauty standards. Aerie's product lines include a wide variety of bras, underwear, loungewear, swimwear, and activewear, often using soft fabrics and body-positive designs that cater to a broad spectrum of shapes and sizes. Aerie’s commitment to size inclusivity is reflected in its wide size range, with bras ranging from AA to DDD and clothing available in extended sizes.
The Aerie Real campaign, launched in 2014, marked a significant shift in fashion advertising by rejecting airbrushing and digitally altering images of models. This campaign promoted natural beauty and body diversity, featuring models with stretch marks, cellulite, and other natural features often edited out by other fashion brands. The brand uses diverse models, including individuals of different races, body sizes, and abilities, helping customers feel represented and confident in their own skin.
Aerie has since expanded its brand ethos of authenticity and empowerment into its product offerings, creating designs that focus on comfort and self-love. Beyond lingerie, the brand’s activewear line, OFFLINE by Aerie, offers versatile workout clothing, including leggings, sports bras, and tops designed to be both functional and fashionable.
Aerie’s message of inclusivity resonates with younger generations, especially Millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize diversity, body positivity, and social responsibility when choosing brands. The company has also been praised for promoting mental health awareness, collaborating with mental health advocates and influencers to create campaigns that encourage self-care and well-being.
Application Areas
- Lingerie and Intimates: Aerie’s core product line includes bras, underwear, and lingerie designed for comfort and body positivity, available in a wide range of sizes and styles.
- Activewear: Through its OFFLINE by Aerie line, the brand offers activewear that includes leggings, sports bras, and comfortable workout apparel, blending fashion with function.
- Swimwear: Aerie’s swimwear collection promotes body confidence, featuring bikinis, one-pieces, and cover-ups designed to flatter all body types.
- Loungewear: Aerie offers a wide selection of cozy loungewear, including sweatpants, hoodies, and soft tops, catering to consumers who value comfort in everyday clothing.
- Body Positive Campaigns: Aerie’s advertising strategy focuses on promoting body diversity, showing unretouched images of models and fostering a message of self-love and acceptance.
Well-Known Examples
- Aerie Real Campaign: Launched in 2014, this groundbreaking campaign stopped retouching model images and promoted real, natural beauty, becoming a signature part of the brand’s identity.
- Iskra Lawrence: The British model and body-positive advocate is one of Aerie’s most famous spokespeople, representing the brand’s values of self-love, diversity, and authenticity.
- OFFLINE by Aerie: Aerie’s activewear line, launched to provide consumers with stylish, comfortable, and functional workout gear, reflecting the brand’s commitment to body positivity in all areas of fashion.
- Aerie Real Role Models: A campaign that highlights inspiring women of different backgrounds and professions, from activists to athletes, celebrating diverse forms of beauty and accomplishment.
Treatment and Risks
While Aerie has gained immense popularity for its inclusive approach, there are challenges and risks associated with maintaining its authenticity and avoiding tokenism. As more brands adopt body-positive messaging, Aerie must continue to ensure that its commitment to diversity and unretouched images remains genuine and not just a marketing tactic. Consumers are increasingly aware of greenwashing or superficial attempts at inclusivity, so maintaining transparency in both product and promotion is crucial.
Additionally, competition from other brands embracing body positivity, such as Savage X Fenty or ThirdLove, presents a risk. Aerie must continue to innovate and deepen its message of inclusivity while offering quality products to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
Similar Terms
- Body Positivity: A movement promoting the acceptance of all body types, rejecting unrealistic beauty standards, which is central to Aerie’s brand ethos.
- Size Inclusivity: Offering a wide range of clothing sizes to cater to different body types, a practice Aerie has embraced across its product lines.
- Unretouched Photography: The practice of not altering or airbrushing images of models, particularly in fashion and advertising, to present a more authentic representation of beauty.
- Self-Love and Empowerment: Core themes in Aerie’s branding, where fashion is used to promote confidence and body acceptance.
Summary
Aerie is a fashion brand that has become synonymous with body positivity, inclusivity, and empowerment. Through its unretouched Aerie Real campaign and a focus on diverse representation, Aerie challenges traditional beauty standards and promotes a more authentic, inclusive approach to fashion. Offering lingerie, activewear, swimwear, and loungewear, the brand caters to a wide range of body types and is celebrated for its commitment to comfort, diversity, and mental health awareness. While it faces challenges in maintaining authenticity in a competitive market, Aerie remains a leader in promoting body confidence and self-acceptance in the fashion industry.
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