American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein has launched a vigorous protection of his firm’s high-profile Sydney Sweeney marketing campaign, insisting the model “can’t run from fear” because it stands behind a denim advert that set off a turbulent debate about vogue, genetics, and id politics over the previous three months.
In a latest interview with The Wall Road Journal, Schottenstein defined how the corporate weathered the backlash that erupted following the July launch of American Eagle’s fall denim marketing campaign starring Sweeney, a Hollywood actress recognized for her main roles in “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus.” What appeared like a playful wordplay—”Sydney Sweeney has nice denims”—shortly turned contentious, with critics accusing the advert of covertly selling eugenics and racist magnificence requirements as a consequence of references to heredity and Sweeney’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed look.
Slightly than responding with public statements or pulling the adverts, Schottenstein instructed executives and staff to “remain calm and not comment.” The corporate monitored social media response and surveyed its prospects, seeing almost one million new prospects between July and September.
Though comparable retailer gross sales fell 1% within the second quarter for 2025, ended August 2, its earnings beat Wall Road expectations general and the corporate reaffirmed its full-year steering, suggesting the total affect of the Sweeney adverts shall be seen within the third quarter.
“Sydney Sweeney is worth every single dollar that we invested,” American Eagle chief advertising and marketing officer Craig Brommers advised Advertising and marketing Brew in early September. “Every single marketing metric that I look at is flashing a green light, and we’re only six weeks in.” Brommers mentioned the marketing campaign had generated 40 billion impressions to that time.
American Eagle inventory is up greater than 60% over the past six months.
The CEO made his place clear to the Journal: “You can’t run from fear. We stand behind what we did.”
Anatomy of a viral marketing campaign
The marketing campaign centered round a collection of adverts that includes Sweeney discussing the genetic inheritance of traits, culminating with the tagline: “My jeans are blue.” The pun—taking part in on “genes” vs. “jeans”—was supposed to focus on American Eagle’s denim, however shortly ignited debate over whether or not the spot subtly superior exclusionary beliefs tied to genetics. The controversy turned additional embroiled in political commentary, with President Donald Trump publicly defending the advert on social media, positioning it as “anti-woke”—and praising Sweeney as a registered Republican.
Regardless of these criticisms, American Eagle skilled a surge in gross sales. The signature Sydney Sweeney jean and cinched denim jacket offered out inside days, and Schottenstein mentioned the marketing campaign led to a noticeable spike in model consciousness and shareholder worth.
The CEO’s private perspective
Schottenstein, an Orthodox Jew, expressed confusion at accusations that the marketing campaign contained eugenic overtones. He identified his private connection to the topic: His mother-in-law lived by Nazi Germany and witnessed the devastation of Jewish communities, making him “very conscious” of what such phrases imply. If the corporate thought the marketing campaign may very well be misinterpreted like that, he insisted, “we never would’ve done it.”
The Sydney Sweeney episode underscores the complexities dealing with manufacturers in an atmosphere the place tradition wars can form, or sink, promoting campaigns. Client-goods corporations, particularly these focusing on youth markets, should navigate fraught debates on id, inclusion, and illustration. Whereas Sweeney herself has declined to remark publicly on the controversy, American Eagle has confirmed she is going to stay a model ambassador by the remainder of the 12 months, with extra marketing campaign components nonetheless to be launched.
On the earnings name for the second-quarter outcomes, Brommers mentioned “Sweeney is a winner, and in just six weeks, the campaign has generated unprecedented new customer acquisition.”
American Eagle didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to assist with an preliminary draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the data earlier than publishing.
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