Aerie 2027: Float Bras, Happy Booties and the No-AI Pledge

Aerie 2027 is being planned from a position of strength: in September 2026, American Eagle Outfitters reported that its intimates and lifestyle brand grew revenue 25% in the second quarter, with comparable sales up 19%, while the main American Eagle label was still looking for its footing. Aerie launched in 2006 inside the Pittsburgh-based retailer, and with its activewear offshoot OFFLINE it is now the company's growth engine.

The second quarter of 2026, by the numbers

AEO Inc. reported on September 9, 2026, for the quarter ended August 1. Aerie and OFFLINE together brought in $535.8 million. The company counted 335 Aerie stores including OFFLINE, after opening two and closing two in the quarter. Chief executive Jay Schottenstein said the quarter reflected "the broad-based momentum of Aerie and OFFLINE."

That run did not start this year. Marketing Dive reported in April 2026 that Aerie's comparable sales rose 9% across 2025 and 23% in the fourth quarter alone, and that chief marketing officer Stacey McCormick credited part of the gain to increased advertising spend.

Float: Aerie's new bra playbook

The most interesting line on the earnings call was about bras. "In July, we also introduced our new Float bra collection designed for weightless feel," said Jennifer Foyle, Aerie's president and executive creative director. Later she was blunter: "we're going to really work on bra innovation. That's a new playbook for us."

For Aerie, that is a real change. The brand built its following on soft, comfortable bras and the bralette, and it has never sold lift the way Victoria's Secret does. Now both companies are talking about bra innovation in the same quarter, from opposite ends: Victoria's Secret with lift and underwire, Aerie with lightness. Foyle described the rule behind it as "real comfort," which she said is what Aerie "has stood for from the beginning."

Twenty years of Happy Booties

The undies side of the business marked an anniversary. Foyle said customers responded to "the 20 years of Happy Booties anniversary campaign," a reference to Aerie's long-running underwear franchise, and to "sleep to street and wear now fabrications," meaning soft knits that work as loungewear and as daytime clothes. Core intimates stayed strong through the quarter, she said, as did sports bras, fleece and OFFLINE's Cloud Fleece range, sold as head-to-toe outfits.

Realmakers and the no-AI rule

Aerie's marketing in 2026 has leaned on a promise it first made in 2014, when the #AerieReal campaign stopped retouching models. In April 2026 the brand launched the Aerie Realmakers Community, a creator program built with the advocacy platform Duel. Creators in the US who are 18 or older and have at least 1,500 followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Pinterest can join for commissions, free product and the chance to appear in campaigns. They must pledge not to retouch photos or post AI-generated content, an extension of Aerie's earlier rule against AI-generated bodies or people in its own ads, according to Marketing Dive.

The creator network is now part of how the brand reaches people. Foyle said on the September call that the Realmakers "continue to be an important part of that connection," and that Aerie was doubling down on digital spend and in-store events. The company put Aerie's brand awareness at 59%, which management framed as room to grow.

Heading into the holiday and 2027

Foyle's outlook for the rest of the year was short: "we have a lot brewing for the holiday season." She also told analysts that the brand believes it can "comp the comp," that is, keep growing against last year's strong numbers. The company did not give a separate Aerie forecast for 2027.

The plan is visible all the same. Aerie is investing in bras with a technical story, keeping the soft knits and anniversary undies that built the brand, and selling it all through creators who promise the photos are real. The sports bra and fleece business at OFFLINE is growing alongside. The longer story of the brand is on our Aerie brand page. The next number to watch is the third quarter, when the Float collection will have had a full season on the shelves.

Last updated October 28, 2026