Things have not been going well for "teen" retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Hollister or dELia's. They're falling victim to the fast-fashion overlords and nobody knows what to do about it to stay afloat. But Aéropostale CEO Julian Geiger has some ideas about how to revamp the brand's image. Namely, wear Aeropostale because then people won't tease you or make fun of you at school. He says, "The teenager today wants to fit in. They want to fit in by wearing things that make them feel safe. If there's a brand promise to Aéropostale, it’s that the teenager can wear our clothes, go to school and not be teased or made fun of [for] the way they look." Word? Whatever happened to just, like, oh, I don't know, being yourself?
But back to business. Maybe this why you're broke, Aéropostale. Maybe you're just too safe? I mean, Zara provides pletty of on-trend pieces that, sure, are a bit high-fashion, but still mainstream enough and it seems to be working for them. And by "working for them," I mean that Zara reported did 13 billion dollars in sales in 2012. Aéro's plan to incorporate trends a little, but balance them out or completely dilute them with nondescript, blend in with the lockers basics sounds pretty fucking boring to me. And I'm not sure any clothing brand has ever succeeded by being boring.
