Have you been seeing a lot of denim ads on your Instagram feeds recently? Over the past couple of months, three major campaigns—American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney collab, Gap’s “Better in Denim” by Katseye, and Levi’s “Easy in Levi’s” with Alia Bhatt have taken over social media pages. While some are impressive, others stirred controversy. But all of them have sparked conversations.
It started with the Sydney Sweeney ad with American Eagle, which received appreciation and backlash in equal measure. The virality of the ad created a platform for other denim brands to jump right into the conversation and market their newest lines.
Wondering what are we talking about? Here is all you need to know about the three major denim brand campaigns released recently and the stories behind them.
The American Eagle campaign ft. Sydney Sweeney
In a recent denim ad by American Eagle, 27-year-old ‘Euphoria’ actress Sydney Sweeney starred in a campaign called “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”. The ad sparked backlash, with some critics accusing it of promoting eugenic ideas due to the play on the words “jeans” and “genes.” It features Sweeney, a petite blonde blue-eyed actress, looking into the camera and talking about her “genes.”
In the video she is heard saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.” The ad faced massive backlash, and according to a report by Hindustan Times, in the first full week after the campaign debuted on July 23, American Eagle saw a 3.9 percent drop in foot traffic year over year. Between August 3 to August 9, visits fell by 9 per cent.
The Gap jeans campaign
Then came the Gap campaign. In collaboration with Katseye, the brand’s “Better in Denim” campaign brought together a global cast of diverse faces, leaning heavily into Y2K nostalgia.
In the new ad titled “Better in Denim,” Gap trades on a tried-and-true formula for the clothing company. They put together a hit song, an infectious dance routine and, of course, blue jeans on women from diverse backgrounds. Many Internet users felt this was a direct clapback to the American Eagle campaign, as this one was all about inclusivity.
The ad featured the global girl group Katseye, performing choreography by Robbie Blue to the 2003 Kelis song, “Milkshake.” The song was even trending on Instagram this past week. The campaign script reads: ”This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression,” a description for the ad reads. “Your style. Powerful on your own. Even better together.”
Alia Bhatt’s Levis ad
And finally, Levi’s, a brand which has long been synonymous with jeans, stepped in with “Easy in Levi’s”. Featuring Alia Bhatt, the campaign spotlighted baggy denim as the ultimate symbol of comfort and self-expression.
It was also a nod to GenZs elevating the status of comfortable, baggy fits. Levi’s even roped in Diljit Dosanjh for their campaign.
