Martha Stewart is the new face of American Eagle Outfitters’ holiday season campaign, joining the brand’s long-running denim portfolio with a twist: positioning jeans as a universal, multi-generational gift.
A Strategic Shift After Controversy
Earlier in 2025, American Eagle drew both eyes and criticism for a campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”—a play on “jeans/genes” that sparked accusations of tone-deafness and evoked unwanted connotations.
In the wake of that controversy, the brand pivoted to Stewart, seeking to "reset" its image while maintaining momentum during the crucial holiday shopping period.
Why Martha Stewart? Cross‑Generational Reach & Cultural Cachet
American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer described the Stewart collaboration as a move to broaden its appeal beyond its core Gen Z audience. The campaign targets a multigenerational spectrum: grandparents familiar with Stewart’s long‑standing public persona, parents seeking reliable gifts, and younger shoppers discovering her through social media and streaming platforms.
A spokesperson spot sees Stewart wrapping gifts in denim, styling casual jeans with cozy holiday attire and weaving in both practicality and festivity. The holiday-first strategy aims to present denim as timeless and universally suited for gifting.
What It Means for Apparel Marketing in 2025–2026
- Cultural repositioning through nostalgia and familiarity. By embracing an icon like Stewart — someone recognized across generations — American Eagle taps into comfort, trust, and cross‑demographic relevance.
- Risk‑calibrated “celebrity resets.” The shift from a divisive campaign to a broadly palatable figure signals how brands can manage reputational risk while still leaning into high‑visibility marketing.
- Holiday campaigns as high‑stakes brand moments. At a low margin period like holidays, a successful campaign can drive volume, gift-giving appeal, and traffic — while also reshaping brand image for the long term.
- Inclusivity in marketing: denim for “everyone and anyone.” American Eagle frames jeans not just as youth‑fashion staples, but as universal wardrobe essentials, aligning with broader trends toward size and age inclusivity in retail.
Looking Ahead
As American Eagle pushes this latest chapter of its Give Great Jeans campaign, the stakes are more than seasonal — they’ll influence whether a post‑controversy pivot can restore brand trust, broaden its customer base, and set an example for how apparel retailers use cultural icons to evolve brand narratives.
