BELL BOTTOMS: Jay Schottenstein and Sydney Sweeney rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning, kicking off trading for the day with a little style.
Schottenstein, executive chairman and chief executive officer of American Eagle Outfitters Inc., used the opportunity to once again tout American Eagle’s controversial campaign with Sweeney last year.
“Our partnership fueled the most memorable campaign in our history and was one of the contributing factors to our business success in the second half of last year,” Schottenstein said in a statement. “We will continue to build on this momentum in 2026 through compelling product collections and even more engaging experiences for our customers.”
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The “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign featured a promotional video in July that had the 27-year-old “Euphoria” actress lying on the floor and zipping up her jeans as she says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
While critics saw the “great genes” pun as a nod to eugenics or even Nazi-coded given Sweeney’s blue eyes and fair complexion, the retailer stood its ground, maintaining the campaign was about jeans. The online firestorm seemed to miss the fact that Schottenstein is a prominent Jewish philanthropist.
But giving credence to the notion that all publicity is good publicity, the retailer’s partnerships with Sweeney and NFL star Travis Kelce last year garnered a total of more than 44 billion impressions and helped drive traffic up throughout the third quarter, according to the company.
Now American Eagle is pivoting to what comes next, including the five-year partnership launched with Spanish football star Lamine Yamal last month, which will include campaigns and product collaborations.
