If you accept that American Eagle ever once was cool, let's entertainment a question: Can American Eagle ever be cool -- again -- for dudes?
While the teen favorite and mall retailer has been a staple in many a teen's closet, it has seen a plummet in sales over the years thanks to more successful rivals like H&M and Forever 21. In that time, American Eagle has become something of a bargain shop that boasts deals as low as $10.
But the brand is attempting to give itself a much needed upgrade by acquiring Todd Snyder, a premium menswear brand, and Tailgate Clothing Company, a vintage, sports-inspired apparel brand with a college town store concept. American Eagle announced this week that it had purchased both brands for $11 million.
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The deal allows the company to have a strong ally in Snyder, an American menswear darling that spent years at Polo Ralph Lauren before becoming the SVP of menswear at J.Crew. Snyder launched Tailgate in 1997 before launching his eponymous line in 2011; he was then named GQ's 2012 Best New Menswear Designer and was a CFDA Award nominee from 2012-2014. He will continue designing his suits line, he confirmed on Twitter.
I'm thoroughly excited to continue designing and growing both my Todd Snyder Suitings/Furn… https://t.co/AyyzTeLUBL pic.twitter.com/DTBBOQnVXj— Todd Snyder (@ToddSnyderNY) November 4, 2015
The designer will stay onboard American Eagle as it executive vice president, reporting to Chad Kessler, global grand president of the retailer. He'll also be a sounding board for the brand and will certainly attempt to elevate the aesthetic and its taste level.
American Eagle is banking on the fact that with Snyder onboard, college bros and midwestern teens will start wearing their clothes once again.
It's a much-needed move on American Eagle's part. Young men are flocking to more fashionable alternatives like Zara and ecommerce brands like ASOS, but Snyder has a proven track record for making menswear wearable -- so this move seems like a smart one for the long run.
Of course, we know the biggest obstacle is luring college bros out of their tank tops and muscle tees for more "refined" American Eagle polos.