The stars were aligned for American Eagle Outfitters.
The company recognized a while ago that country music has become the genre of choice for its Gen Z customers. So it started conversations with a few artists that it believed would connect with these young people.
First up was Ella Langley, who signed with the company for her first fashion campaign. Her ads broke the same week that she made history by becoming the first woman to ever top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts at the same time with her song “Choosin’ Texas.”
The response from American Eagle customers has been enormous, according to Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer.
“You develop these campaigns months in advance, and we knew we wanted to partner with Ella,” he said. “But the timing couldn’t have been better, and our customers are going crazy over the campaign.”
He said sales have “exploded” on the two fits Langley is wearing in the campaign — the Kick bootcut and a flare. “I can’t say that it’s only because of Ella, but we know Ella is making an immediate impact. We call her the denim darling, and she’s living up to it.”
Now American Eagle is adding a man to its country campaign: Bailey Zimmerman. The 26-year-old Zimmerman, a multiplatinum artist with five number-one singles and 7.5 billion global streams who kicked off his first headline arena tour last week, is another one of country’s newest stars. His debut album, “Religiously. The Album,” was the biggest streaming debut for a country album in history when it was released in 2023. His second album, “Different Night Same Rodeo,” was released in August 2025 and sparked the arena tour of the same name.
Bailey Zimmerman will be wearing a custom American Eagle outfit at Stagecoach.
Courtesy of American Eagle
Both the Zimmerman and Langley partnerships are tied to Stagecoach, the world’s largest country music festival, which will be held April 24 to 26 in Indio, Calif. American Eagle is debuting as the festival’s exclusive apparel and denim sponsor and will be creating custom stage looks for both artists for their performances on the first day of the event.
Brommers said Zimmerman is “just so full of energy and optimism. His crossover appeal is real. Gen Z women are enamored of him, and Gen Z guys look up to him.”
Zimmerman has a very active social media presence, where he has made no secret of his ADHD, getting his teeth fixed, loving on his two golden retrievers, who accompanied him to the American Eagle shoot, and buying his mother a house. He also moans about how he doesn’t have a girlfriend.
Brommers said his American Eagle campaign could help with that. “We know how our female customers feel about Bailey, so maybe as he’s touring the country with his new arena tour, he’ll bump into someone,” he said.
It turns out Zimmerman was already a fan of the brand and getting to be the male country artist in the spring campaign was “a really emotional full-circle moment for him,” Brommers said. And his style also was a fit. “His style is very in line with American Eagle: denim, tanks and Ts, casual and comfortable, optimistic with color,” Brommers said.
Zimmerman told WWD that although he’s worn a number of brands over the years, this is his first official fashion campaign — “and it’s with American Eagle, which is crazy. I’ve worn American Eagle pretty much my whole life. My mom used to take me school shopping there. It honestly felt like a vacation for us, because we didn’t have much when I was growing up. I always loved getting new fits for school — that was a big deal for me.”
He said he’s always loved the brand’s jeans and underwear. “I used to grab the underwear with the crazy designs, and their jeans have always been comfortable and affordable.”
And it will work for his first headlining tour, which marks a major milestone for the artist. “I can’t believe it. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I started singing in 2021, and the fact that it’s actually happening is wild. I’m just really grateful — to God, to my fans, to my family and friends. And to American Eagle.”
Despite his heavy touring schedule, Zimmerman said he’s also working on new music. “I actually have a song I’m about to share pretty soon — I’m just putting the final touches on it and making sure it’s right,” he said. And considering the successful collaborations he’s released with BigXthaPlug and Luke Combs — the latter of which, “Backup Plan,” was released at Stagecoach last year — will there be other partnerships in the future?
“Collaborating has honestly become one of my favorite parts of making music,” he said. “It’s so cool to see what you and another artist can create out of thin air. So yeah — definitely expect more collabs.”
Brommers said the popularity of Zimmerman and Langley proves that country music “is not niche. We have two of the most exciting, up-and-coming country stars at a moment where country music is defining culture, all building to Stagecoach, which is the largest country music festival in the world.”
He continued: “Country has become Gen Z’s fastest growing music genre. We looked at our customer data with our advertising partners at Spotify, and country is now the most listened-to genre for the American Eagle customer.”
According to a 2025 Live Nation survey, 63 percent of country music listeners are Gen Z or Millennial, with Gen Z among the fastest-growing demographic of listeners.
Looks from the brand’s spring country-themed collection.
In addition to sponsoring the festival, the retailer will create a limited-edition AE x Stagecoach men’s and women’s collection that will launch March 25. The collection will include a suede fringe vest, tube tops, long skirts, maxidresses and jeans for women as well as jeans, graphic Ts, bandana printed shirts and a mechanic shirt for guys that will retail for $17.95 to $89.95. The collection will be available online, in select AE stores, and onsite at the festival.
In addition, two immersive denim-skewed “brand environments” will be installed at the festival: one on the main grounds and one in the camping area. They will feature product customization, interactive games, meet-and-greets and other events.
“I think this is the right genre, the right talent, the right brand and the right experience at the right time,” Brommers said.
American Eagle started exploring country music last March when it hosted a two-day pop-up called AE Denim Deli in Nashville.
“Given everything going on the world right now, I think there is a deeper connection to country music,” Brommers said. “It’s storytelling. There’s some optimism in there. There are fresh voices. It’s a really exciting time.”
