This lingerie brand for young women refuses to airbrush ads - and sales are soaring 21%
Aerie defied norms last year by abandoning photo retouching of its models.
The idea to use unretouched photos in ad campaigns dawned on the creative team as a way to appeal to young women.
"We definitely had a creative moment where the team got together, and we just said, 'really, what's happening today with millennials and the next generation?'" Aerie's president, Jennifer Foyle, said to Business Insider this summer. "And we really felt like girls today are just more independent and stronger than ever."
"We just knew that it would really resonate with this generation," she said, adding, "why would we even be airbrushing these models? They're beautiful as is."
That instinct was completely right.
Since nixing Photoshop, sales have soared. In its most recent quarter, Aerie's comparable sales increased by an impressive 21%.
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Aerie serves as an alternative for young women, who are often bombarded by unrealistic imagery from the media.
"I think if you look outside of what we're doing [the lingerie industry's models are] not realistic, and I don't think it sets a good example," Foyle said.
Aerie/Ali Mitton
Now the brand plans to never look back.
"I think every brand needs to do what's right for their brand," Foyle said, regarding airbrushing in general.
But she doesn't think retouching is a necessity. "I think it could be done without," she said. "I mean, I don't think we need to lean on it as hard as we think. And from my perspective, I would say it's really up to the retailers, and what they really want to do. This is what we stand for, and this is what we want to do."
Aerie is poised for tremendous growth.
"Next Aerie presents an incredible growth and opportunity, which I believe can double in size over the next several years," interim CEO Jay Schottenstein said on an earnings call last quarter. (Schottenstein has since been promoted to full-time CEO, according to a release.)
"We want to become a real player in the intimates sector," Foyle said to Business Insider.