Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift nearly broke the web on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with their Instagram engagement reveal, that includes a floral photoshoot and a 10-carat ring.
With 27 million likes and counting, manufacturers together with Krispy Kreme and Walmart have rushed to capitalize on the thrill. Now American Eagle is dropping its personal well timed collaboration and marketing campaign with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish.
Following a partnership with Euphoria actor Sydney Sweeney, the corporate has launched a 90-piece limited-edition assortment with the NFL participant’s sportswear and way of life model Tru Kolors, based in 2019.
American Eagle chief advertising and marketing officer (CMO) Craig Brommers didn’t verify whether or not the model was given a heads up on the engagement, however instructed ADWEEK it had been in conversations with Kelce since June 2024.
The gathering will roll out throughout two drops on Aug. 27 and Sept. 24, that includes all the things from vintage-inspired T-shirts to varsity jackets. Kelce served as a inventive director on the mission, concerned in design, pattern choice, and extra. Costs run from $14.95 to $179.95.
“We had a need to create a set that was distinctive, but accessible,” mentioned Brommers, including that “each element mattered” all through the design course of.
The vary is backed by a marketing campaign that includes Kelce’s associates and fellow athletes, together with rising tennis star Anna Frey, basketball guard Azzi Fudd, and gold medal-winning gymnast Suni Lee.
The “AE x Tru Kolors” by Travis Kelce push will run globally throughout all social platforms. Out-of-home placements can even pop up within the Chiefs’ hometown of Kansas Metropolis. The model can be partnering with NFL information podcast, The Ringer, and working intensive CTV adverts.
Kelce’s cultural clout
That is the most recent play from American Eagle to court docket Gen Z’s {dollars} by leaning into massive moments throughout sports activities and tradition. In 2024, the model ran adverts across the Tremendous Bowl with athletes together with U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
In July 2025, it unveiled a brand new platform, “Dwell Your Lifebrand,” a recent tackle its longstanding “Dwell Your Life” slogan with a deal with self-expression and connection.
Brommers mentioned Kelce has the “distinctive capacity” to enchantment to a Gen Z viewers past sports activities, which constantly ranks as a high curiosity for the corporate’s goal shoppers. “He represents the right mixture of athleticism and cultural relevance that resonates with our shopper,” the marketer mentioned.
“I’ve needed to preserve my pleasure about this collab beneath wraps for practically a 12 months. It was an superior alternative to crew up with a longtime model the place each side have been excited to really collaborate on each determination within the design and inventive course of that introduced the ‘AE x TK’ assortment to life,” mentioned Kelce in a press launch.
The NFL participant added: “I began Tru Kolors in 2019 on the inspiration of exhibiting up authentically and having enjoyable with type, and we needed this collab to replicate that very same power. I would like everybody to really feel like there’s something for them within the assortment, one thing they’ll really feel good in and make their very own. I’m excited for it to lastly be out on the planet.”
‘Swiftynomics’
The marketing campaign could have some heavy lifting to do to assist American Eagle flip its funds round. It posted a $68 million adjusted working loss within the first quarter of 2025, owing to the impression of tariffs, product misses, and a chilly spring.
In terms of KPIs from the Kelce partnership, Brommers mentioned American Eagle is at the moment centered on the 2 drops, however hopes individuals are nonetheless speaking concerning the marketing campaign in “a 12 months or 20.”
He continued: “Extra importantly, we hope the constructive momentum, model visibility, and deep buyer engagement proceed as we place American Eagle on the middle of tradition for a few years to come back.”
American Eagle has at all times featured movie star endorsements, however this 12 months it’s gone tougher on offers with trending expertise, together with Sweeney, and one other with the forged of buzzy Prime Video sequence The Summer season I Turned Fairly.
“We don’t need to simply work with expertise that displays tradition; we need to work with them to outline it,” mentioned Brommers.
The launch additionally comes as manufacturers race to capitalize on the cultural halo impact of Swift, whose affect on shopper habits has been dubbed “Swiftynomics.”
From NFL ticket and advert gross sales to manufacturers like Panera and Reese’s leaping on the thrill round her current Lifetime of a Showgirl album reveal on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast, Swift’s capacity to drive demand extends properly past music.
Her devoted followers, dubbed Swifties, spent roughly $5 billion in U.S. locations throughout her 2023/24 Eras Tour, based on the U.S. Journey Affiliation. When oblique spending was factored in, this quantity exceeded $10 billion.
