American Eagle has found its latest celebrity endorser in Taylor Swift’s now fiancée, Travis Kelce.
The NFL star has released AE x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce, a limited-edition product collaboration with Tru Kolors—Kelce’s sportswear and lifestyle brand built on connection and self-expression.
American Eagle said the collection had been more than a year in the making, though one can’t help but notice it arrived one day after he announced his engagement to Taylor Swift. Perhaps it is mere coincidence.
One also can’t help but note that the models used in the promo materials for the new collection are a diverse bunch. All are fellow athletes including rising tennis player Anna Frey, basketballer Azzi Fudd, NFL players Drew Allar and Jeremiah Smith, basketballer Kiyan Anthony and Olympic gold gymnast Suni Lee.
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It stands in contrast to the uproar following American Eagle’s ‘Sydney Sweeney’s Got Great Jeans’ ad that debuted earlier this month.
Some in the advertising industry said it promoted eugenics—the pseudoscientific theory that some genetic traits in people are more desirable than others and the less desirable ones should be selectively bred out. Belief in eugenics reached its apotheosis and natural conclusion in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.
Others in the industry believed the ad to be a rip off of a 1980 Calvin Klein ad featuring a then-15-year-old Brooke Shields and unimaginative copywriting.
On this this campaign, however, Kelce himself served as creative director—much like Addison Rae did for her recent Lucky Brand collaboration and campaign. One black American photographer said of the campaign: “now this is how you sell white girl jeans”.
“I’ve had to keep my excitement about this collab under wraps for nearly a year. It was an awesome opportunity to team up with an established brand where both sides were excited to truly collaborate on every decision in the design and creative process that brought the ‘AE x TK’ collection to life,” said Kelce.
“I started Tru Kolors in 2019 on the foundation of showing up authentically and having fun with style, and we wanted this collab to reflect that same energy. I want everyone to feel like there is something for them in the collection, something they can feel good in and make their own. I’m excited for it to finally be out in the world.”
American Eagle said Kelce took a “hands-on approach” from design inspiration to fabric, colour palette, sample selection, silhouette refinement and graphic creation.
“American Eagle and Travis Kelce were destined to collaborate. An iconic brand teaming up with one of the greatest athletes of our generation – that’s what I call a win,” said Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director of American Eagle Outfitters.
“AE and Tru Kolors are rooted in optimism, self expression and confidence–and we share a passion for empowering everyone to feel like their true self when wearing our products. Travis’ infectious energy and dedication to every aspect of the collaboration brought a refreshing spirit to the team, inspiring us to explore bespoke fabrics and fits to showcase this collection through his distinct style and perspective.”
The collection releases in two drops on August 27 and September 24 and features more than 90 pieces priced between $14.95 and $179.95 including heavyweight, vintage-inspired T-shirts, reimagined varsity jackets, cricket sweaters, rugby shirts, utility cargos and more.
Club Americana?
If you’ve noticed we’ve been devoting a significant portion of our column inches on B&T to American denim brands in recent months, you’d be right.
While the rise of country music and general ‘Americana’ has been well documented in culture, it appears brands are now presented with a crossroads.
Some seem to be leaning into the blue-collar Americana vibes, notably Levi’s. Its chief exec Michelle Gass has identified blue-collar men in rural areas as its next big customer opportunity—a return to its roots after losing share to smaller brands such as Ariat, Carhartt and Wrangler.
Speaking to the LA Times, its head of US western accounts Anthony Scholl said “There are a ton of cowboys in the world, but the big market is the blue-collar everyday electrician, plumber, farmer, rancher”.
Levi has released two new cuts, the western boot cut and western straight, which are both able to fit over work boots, to better appeal to this customer profile. The jeans will be $59, about $10 below most of its other core styles.
Levi’s has even used Beyoncé in its reworking of classic campaigns, placing the uber-famous singer into dive bars, laundrettes and more following her own ‘Cowboy Carter’ country pivot.
Gap, meanwhile, appears to be taking the other path, enlisting K-Pop band Katseye to star in its latest campaign, sound-tracked by Kelis’ noughties anthem Milkshake.
How this change plays out down under remains to be seen. But country and those blue-collar Americana vibes are certainly not far away from the mainstream. Research from Connect by Live Nation earlier this year revealed metropolitan zoomers are leading the charge, with 68 per cent now listening to more country music than ever before.
Giddy up, we say.
