American Eagle Sends Sydney Sweeney, Lamine Yamal Back to School

Low-rise jeans are back, and American Eagle is spending big to sell them this fall.

For back-to-school 2026, the retailer is putting low-rise silhouettes at the center of a 10-week campaign.

It spans celebrity partnerships, RushTok partnerships, mall activations, and limited-edition denim drops.

New styles include the Low Rise Classic Straight, Low Rise Baggy Wide Leg, and Super Low Rise Kick Boot.

Brand ambassadors Sydney Sweeney, Ella Langley, and football star Lamine Yamal will also showcase the season's fits across social media.

"As we prepared for this season, we did, as we always do, a lot of listening to our core Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha customer base."

"The one thing that struck us is this is not a monoculture moment," American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers told Glossy.

The nostalgic effort expands the retailer's strategy of connecting denim to youth culture through online content and in-person experiences.

It also arrives ahead of Yamal's first product collaboration with the brand, set for launch on September 3.

American Eagle already has Gen Z's attention, turning it into repeat store visits and steady denim sales is the harder part.

American Eagle Works With Campus Creators

American Eagle's back-to-school strategy reaches into three branches alongside celebrity endorsements.

The apparel brand is investing in sports, malls, and college campuses, while Sweeney, Langley, and Yamal amplify its audience reach.

Meanwhile, smaller creators and student influencers are expected to drive action closer to purchase.

RushTok, the viral TikTok wave of sorority recruitment videos, anchors the campus side of the plan.

American Eagle is partnering with sorority chapters, including ones at the University of Florida, the University of Alabama, and Arizona State University.

The partnerships cover content spaces, live events, and individual creator deals for social posts and affiliate activity.

At the same time, the company is bringing shoppers back to physical retail through localized mall events.

Activations include denim customization, styling sessions, and exclusive product drops.

American Eagle is treating malls, campuses, and creator communities as media channels, giving shoppers more reasons to participate.

$128 Billion in Back-to-School Spending

According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. back-to-school spending reached $39.4 billion for K-12 and $88.8 billion for college in 2025.

And this figure is expected to grow in the 2026 season.

Clothing and accessories remain among the largest purchase categories as families refresh wardrobes ahead of the new school year.

The season rivals the holidays as one of the year's most important revenue drivers because it combines planned spending with trend-driven purchases.

A 10-week campaign is a long campaign, and the money moving through back-to-school explains why American Eagle is willing to commit to it.

Three things about this spending pattern influence how brands should approach the season:

• Back-to-school shopping starts earlier every year. Brands should establish visibility before peak purchasing begins to stay in consideration.
• Trend-led purchases drive apparel growth. Retailers should connect seasonal products to viral trends to encourage faster buying decisions.
• Store visits still influence spending. Marketers should pair digital discovery with in-person experiences to convert online interest into purchases.

Back-to-school doubles as a proving ground for the retail marketing tactics that brands will run again during the holiday, when the stakes are higher.

Our Take: Are Mall Activations Worth the Spend for Gen Z?

American Eagle is spending on malls because Gen Z now makes a store visit as content to film, post, and share.

We think that the spend is worth it, but only if the activations stay local and genuine enough to feel sincere.

Mall foot traffic among Gen Z climbed 57% over the past year, and American Eagle wants a share of it.

The risk is that once every campus event runs the same script and the same branded backdrop, students will scroll past.

The Yamal collaboration and the low-rise drops give people a reason to show up, and the in-store experience decides whether they come back.

American Eagle can rent attention with celebrities and creators.

But it has to earn the second store visit on its own, and this is what the whole campaign is really testing.

Looking for partners to create retail experiences, influencer campaigns, or youth-focused brand strategies?

Explore these top experiential marketing agencies in our directory.