Aéropostale helps bring back once-controversial brand. August 29, 2026 Aéropostale is partnering with a once-controversial brand to launch one of its latest collaboration collections as its partner works through a major transformation. Not many brands have managed to navigate a business turnaround quite like Aéropostale. From becoming a mall staple to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016 due to declining sales and falling foot traffic, closing more than 100 stores, and being delisted from the NYSE, the company has emerged from what might have seemed an irreversible decline. Aéropostale has rebranded and worked to regain relevance among teens and young adults. Partnerships with other brands have become an important part of that strategy, and now the retailer is using its audience and retail presence to help bring another brand back into the spotlight. Aéropostale releases new collaboration with Von Dutch. Aéropostale has teamed up with Von Dutch for the first time to launch a limited-time collection that aims to reintroduce the early-2000s brand to a new generation while giving its recognizable aesthetic a fresh take. The collection features more than 30 pieces for men and women, including matching sets, sweats, hoodies, fleece, beanies, tanks, and graphic tees. The pieces are priced between $20 and $45, offering a lower price point than comparable full-price apparel on Von Dutch's retail website, where items currently range from $30 to $160. The Aéropostale x Von Dutch collection will be available exclusively on the Aéropostale app from Aug. 27 to Aug. 28 before launching in stores and online on Sept. 2. Why Von Dutch is partnering with Aéropostale. Von Dutch's partnership with Aéropostale is intended to expand the brand's awareness and relevance among younger consumers by leveraging Aéropostale's established audience and physical retail presence. Although Aéropostale does not publish quarterly earnings reports because it is a private company, ECDB estimated its 2025 annual revenue at $85 million, representing a 50% to 55% increase over the previous year. ECDB also estimates Aéropostale could see revenue growth of 10% to 15% in 2026 compared to 2025. The downfall of Von Dutch. Created in 1999, Von Dutch is named after the late artist Kenny "Von Dutch" Howard, whose trademark rights were acquired by the brand's founders from his daughters. Howard himself had no involvement in the brand. Von Dutch quickly became popular in the early 2000s for its punk-rock streetwear and trucker hats, along with its recognizable logo and bold patterns such as flames and pinstripes. The brand also became closely associated with pop culture after being worn by celebrities including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, and Justin Timberlake. However, in the late 2000s, counterfeit products became a major issue for the brand. Von Dutch claimed that it was the second-most counterfeited label at the time. In an effort to regain its exclusivity, Von Dutch began collaborating with companies outside of its traditional audience. The strategy did not restore the brand's previous level of cultural relevance, and the label gradually lost some of the appeal that had made it a defining name in early-2000s fashion. "I remember one day I looked in my closet and I had so much Von Dutch, and I just couldn't look at it anymore. I got rid of everything," Paris Hilton said in "The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For," which aired on Hulu. Then, in May 2004, a letter Howard had written shortly before his death in 1992 was leaked to the press. The letter contained racist and antisemitic remarks. Although Howard was only the namesake and had no involvement with the company, the controversy added to the challenges facing Von Dutch and further damaged the brand's image. Von Dutch began widespread store closures in the late 2000s. Its business eventually shifted toward a lighter-asset model, with the company shutting down its physical U.S. stores and making the brand available primarily online and through retail partners in the U.S. and international markets. However, Von Dutch never filed for bankruptcy or ceased production entirely. The revival of Von Dutch. Von Dutch was acquired by White Space Group (WSG) in 2024. The company acknowledged that the brand had largely faded from the U.S. market, with a significant decline in consumer engagement and retail presence. However, WSG said it saw an opportunity to rebuild the brand. According to a company announcement, its strategy includes restoring Von Dutch's relevance, rebuilding its infrastructure, expanding its distribution, and introducing the brand to a new generation of consumers. Since the acquisition, Von Dutch has been working to reposition the brand, expand its distribution channels, strengthen retail partnerships, and introduce new collections. The company's strategy has also placed a greater emphasis on collaborations that match, giving Von Dutch opportunities to reach consumers through established fashion and retail brands such as Aéropostale. "In under two years, Von Dutch has grown into a nine-digit business, achieving global expansion across key wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer platforms," said WSG. "The brand's resurgence has been fueled by strategic collaborations, enhanced marketing initiatives, and a renewed focus on quality, authenticity, and cultural relevance."

From Yamal to the mall: How American Eagle is going back to school. CMO Craig Brommers details the retailer's extensive marketing for the crucial season, which kicks off days after global ambassador Lamine Yamal and his team won gold at the World Cup. Published July 22, 2026 First published on American Eagle on Wednesday began rolling out its campaign for the crucial back-to-school season, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The effort will span social programming, experiential activations and brand advertising, including a 30-second ad running on YouTube and paid social. Overall, the marketing will focus on culture around malls, campus life and sports. The sports angle is particularly well-timed: Lamine Yamal, the Spanish soccer star who signed a five-year global ambassador deal with the brand in January, just helped his national team to World Cup gold on Sunday. The 19-year-old phenom kicked off his first campaign with the brand last month, and will now have an even bigger role in the back-to-school push. "I'm not saying this as a CMO who sometimes can be over dramatic: This is the most exciting talent partnership in our future, and we just can't believe that all the stars aligned, and everything that we dreamed of is coming true in real time," American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers told Marketing Dive. "It's reflective of what happens in modern marketing today: best laid plans, then something exciting happens, then you pivot and try to take full advantage of it." American Eagle quickly worked to celebrate Yamal after Spain's World Cup win, temporarily changing its name to Lamine's Eagles and declaring its Instagram page "a Lamine Yamal fan account." The brand also rolled out social ads featuring Yamal and soccer balls that give a CGI spin to ads that recently ran on Times Square billboards. "This American Eagle marketing team is working around the clock to make sure that we are amplifying Lamine into this back-to-school season," Brommer said. "The team is not done coming up with some new tricks and surprises as we build into a product collaboration launch closer to the Labor Day weekend." American Eagle seems to have a knack for finding the right celebrity partners at the right time. The brand last year memorably teamed with actor Sydney Sweeney for a campaign that, while controversial, helped attract new customers and briefly reversed a negative sales trend. American Eagle in February launched a campaign with Ella Langley, the country singer whose song "Choosin' Texas" just notched a 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Both Sweeney and Langley will feature in the back-to-school effort. "I never feel like talent should define a brand, but the right talent can certainly amplify a brand," Brommers said. Gen Z returns to the mall and campus. Along with its heavyweight brand partners, American Eagle will focus on engaging Gen Z in other arenas as part of its back-to-school campaign, chief among them the mall. The cohort's share of foot traffic at malls increased 57% year over year, according to PwC data cited by the brand - a behavior change that also informed a recent effort by American Eagle competitor Aéropostale. "We are back to basically pre-pandemic mall traffic... and that mall traffic is being driven by young people that want to be back in real life, making real connections with real people. We will have more in-mall activations this season than at any time of my CMO tenure over the last five years," Brommer said. To tap into Gen Z's return to the mall, American Eagle will roll out in-store events, discount days, store-exclusive denim drops and more. Customers who try on jeans in store and scan a QR code during the first week of August will have a chance to win jeans for life, and the brand will encourage its creator community to head to their local store for product discovery and content creation. "When someone takes the time and effort to get in their car, pay those gas prices, park and go into a mall, it isn't a transaction anymore. They want an experience," Brommers said. "This is now as important as thinking about your creative campaign or your media strategy. It's now plotting out how you can engage with Gen Z in real time, in real life." To bridge the physical-digital divide, American Eagle will launch a social-first, influencer-led content series called "Mall Diaries" that attempts to capture the spontaneity and social connection of the mall, with a dose of Y2K nostalgia that has proven to be an effective tactic for engaging Gen Z consumers. Beyond the mall, the brand in August will head to college campuses, focusing on sorority chapters at schools including the University of Alabama, Arizona State University, the University of Florida and Ohio State University. The influencer-led partnerships will feature product displays, giveaways and room makeover content as the brand seeks to tap into #RushTok, the social media trend around sorority recruitment.

J.C. Penney, Aéropostale link loyalty programs. Customers who shop at both retailers can earn points to redeem at either one. Both companies are part of the Catalyst Brands portfolio. Published June 26, 2026 By Tatiana Walk-Morris Dive brief: * J.C. Penney and Aéropostale are connecting their respective loyalty rewards programs to form the J.C. Penney x Aéropostale Rewards Access program, according to a Monday press release. * This marks the first time Aéropostale has had its own loyalty program. Now, when customers spend money at J.C. Penney or Aéropostale online, in-store or via their mobile apps, they can redeem those points for future purchases at both companies. * Shoppers who sign up for the joint program will receive $10 CashPass rewards from J.C. Penney or $5 from Aéropostale, then earn $10 in CashPass for every 200 points they earn. J.C. Penney is also offering higher status and faster point accrual to its credit cardholders, according to the announcement. Dive insight: Aéropostale and J.C. Penney - both part of the Catalyst Brands portfolio, which formed in January 2025 - are partnering once more to cross-pollinate their customer bases. During its back-to-school campaign last year, J.C. Penney introduced products from Aéropostale, Hurley and Volcom to its assortment. The retailer is once again teasing an Aéropostale collection, this time for college living. Other brands within the Catalyst portfolio include Nautica, Lucky Brand and Brooks Brothers. "By connecting these two brands, we've created a single ecosystem where shoppers can maximize their dollars," Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, said in a press release. "Whether you're shopping for the latest styles at Aéropostale or grabbing great fashion and beauty favorites at J.C. Penney, you'll earn rewards on the entire experience. It's the kind of convenience and value that makes Catalyst Brands work." This isn't the first time retailers have looked to combine their loyalty programs. Dick's Sporting Goods and Nike in 2021 debuted a joint loyalty experience that would let shoppers access Nike's loyalty program within the Dick's mobile app. Nike has offered a similar joint loyalty experience through other wholesale partners, including JD Sports and Hibbett. Ulta and Target also offered a joint loyalty experience for shoppers of the Ulta at Target shop-in-shops, though that partnership is set to end in August. J.C. Penney is teaming up with Aéropostale following a rough holiday quarter for the department store. Its fourth-quarter net sales declined 8% from the year prior to $1.9 billion, according to financial filings released earlier this year. Meanwhile, net loss surged 77% to $113 million. To ameliorate some of J.C. Penney's financial woes, the department store tried to hand off 119 of its stores to private equity firm Onyx Partners for $947 million, but the deal fell apart late last year.