Aerie, stylized as aerie (short for American Eagle lingerie), is an intimate apparel and lifestyle retailer and sub-brand owned by American Eagle Outfitters. In addition to lingerie such as a wide variety of bras and other

undergarment Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

s, the aerie line also sells dormwear, active apparel, loungewear, accessories and sleepwear. The aerie brand is sold as a shop-in-shop in American Eagle Outfitters stores, online through the American Eagle website, and in standalone aerie retail stores. Additionally, aerie merchandise is available at 82 licensed international franchise stores in 13 countries. Aerie's main competition in the lingerie market for the 15- to 22-year-old demographic includes Pink by Victoria's Secret and GapBody.

History

In February 2006, American Eagle launched aerie lingerie, the company's first sub-brand. The first stand-alone aerie store opened in August 2006 in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the county seat, seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenvil ...

and was followed by two more test stores later that year. As of December 2010, there were 147 stand-alone aerie stores in the United States and in Canada. In 2011, the company opened ten new aerie stores and had a 2% share of the lingerie market. Aerie outperformed American Eagle’s mainline brand during the second and third quarter in the 2013 fiscal year, despite a decline in store traffic.

Campaigns

Aerie Real

"Aerie Real" is a body image campaign that was launched by aerie in spring 2014 in response to an announcement by American Eagle in January 2014. AEO released news that it was going to discontinue using

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

s and digitally retouching its models to encourage positive self-image and

body positivity Body positivity is a social movement focused on the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities, while challenging present-day beauty standards as an undesirable social construct. Proponents fo ...

. The Aerie REAL campaign features models of various sizes, shapes and skin colors, along with showing their beauty marks and tattoos. The Aerie Real movement includes an online bra guide that showcases cup sizes 30A through 40DD worn by models with similar body types. The personalized shopping experience further includes a “Real Girl Talk” hotline with style and fit experts. They have also teamed up with

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror and thriller genres, she has received various accolades, including a Young Arti ...

to further this campaign and provide a positive role model to younger girls. As part of this campaign, aerie became the first national retailer to sponsor the

National Eating Disorders Association The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is an American non-profit organization devoted to preventing eating disorders, providing treatment referrals, and increasing the education and understanding of eating disorders, weight, and body imag ...

(NEDA). Aerie is the leading sponsor of their national walks awareness program known as "NEDA Walk". The initiative raises funds for educational programs and spreads awareness about eating disorders. NEDA holds 65 walks every year in cities across the United States. This campaign has also had success reaching young women under the Twitter nam
#aeriereal

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Lingerie brands Lingerie retailers American companies established in 2006 Clothing companies established in 2006 Retail companies established in 2006 Clothing companies of the United States