Is Aeropostale Fast Fashion? An Expert Breakdown!
Aeropostale is a renowned American retailer that sells casual clothing and accessories for teens from ages 14 to 18. Established in 1987, the brand has changed its style many times and similarly, the level of its popularity has also fluctuated. While its headquarters are in New York, it operates over 350 stores in many different countries.
Aeropostale’s popularity took off in the early 2000s. Before it attempted to create a glamorous image for itself but it was not what the people needed at the time. In the 2000s, it turned towards trendy and casual clothing which helped the brand skyrocket. This became the identity of the brand and teenagers flocked to its stores to get their hands on its various t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and sports equipment. Wearing Aeropostale back in those times categorized you as a cool individual so we can easily assume that Aeropostale managed to make itself a household name by attracting young people.
However, this cute 2000s aesthetic could not last for long. The company began to lose popularity with the onset of the years after 2010 as more fashion styles emerged. Instead of evolving with them, Aeropostale maintained its previous style hoping to get a resurgence in fame again. However, it went bankrupt instead. It had to close some of its stores and narrow down the business to survive and it worked out because Aeropostale is still alive and breathing today.
One thing that Aeropostale managed to predict right was the importance of social media. It ran a lot of brick-and-mortar stores in the USA but it decided to open a website to attract more people worldwide and create a platform for its designs. It was a smart decision because Aeropostale has almost 4M followers on Instagram today. It helped boost its sales tremendously because people did not have to travel large distances to any of its stores.
This is part of the brand’s marketing strategy which is handled by its team. Aeropostale does not hire any third party to market the items or stores but has staff specifically for this purpose. This aids the brand in maintaining high quality and communicating what it wants to the customers.
Sustainability Rating: 2/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women, Men
Products: Tops, Hoodies, Jeans, Perfume
Style: Trendy
Quality: Low
Prices: -
Size: XS – 2XL (International Size)
Fabrics: Polyester, Polyester Blend, Acrylic, Cotton, Cotton Blend, Elastane, Nylon, Spandex, Rayon, Leather, Wool, Viscose
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: Yes
Ethical and Fair: Yes
Recycling: Yes
Manufacturing Countries: Not transparent enough
Certifications: Not transparent enough
Even though Aeropostale is not among the biggest brands today it still believes in keeping customers happy by providing them with quality items. That interest in the nostalgic feeling that Aeropostale was revived for seemed to have died down again but the brand is intent on keeping its 2000s image alive.
Sadly, Aeropostale is without doubt a fast fashion brand as it introduces new designs almost every other week and they are not unique because they follow a certain market trend. Moreover, items at this brand are extremely cheap and easily affordable for young teens who are the main target audience. This casts doubt on the brand’s statement that it produces high-quality clothing only because items being sold at such low prices are usually not made from good materials. After all, it is expensive.
However, Aeropostale claims to have a quality management system that makes sure that every item that leaves the store is of the best quality. Moreover, even though it produces items for both genders, it has larger collections for girls. It is also involved in a lot of charity campaigns. In 2018, it started “Jeans for Teens” which was aimed at bringing to light the issue of teenage homelessness. It collected second-hand jeans or extra jeans made during mass production and donated them to charities which was a big help for many kids in the USA.
In 2019, it was added to Forbes’ “Best Employers by State” list but it dropped off in 2020 and after going through the employee reviews on Indeed, it is apparent why it was not added to the 2020 list. It has a rating of 3.7 which is not particularly bad but isn’t too good either. Most of the comments are filled with ex-employees complaining about the rude upper staff and low pay.
Also, even though Aeropostale clearly states in the Code of Conduct that it is against slavery of any kind and abhors child labor, it has factories in Asian countries like China and Sri Lanka which are notorious for child labor and terrible working conditions. However, the brand is careful not to disclose any information about its manufacturers and other production activities. But it had a lawsuit filed against it for using children in factories which was also one of the reasons why the brand fell off.
However, the brand is very vocal about recycling and uses organic cotton and recycled polyester in some of its items, especially the “Aero Impact” collection. It has expressed its intention to reduce its carbon emissions by moving the brand towards 100% recycling. It has also partnered with Repreve for its denim collection through which it uses recycled plastic bottles to make clothing. Disappointingly, these are its only sustainable lines, and for the rest of the collections, it uses normal fabrics like rayon, viscose, and more that are not certified.
It is at least slightly conscious about using animals for the production of clothes. While it does not use fur or animal skin, it does incorporate leather and wool in a lot of its items. This is another reason for the GoodOnYou directory rating it “very poor”. It seems to be greenwashing a bit through its website, where it highlights tons of eco-friendly efforts but in reality, those efforts are focused on only a few products.
In 2021, the Fashion Transparency Index gave it a rating of only 3% which is astoundingly bad for any brand due to its lack of transparency and focus towards establishing a sustainable future. Thus, Aeropostale is a fast fashion brand because it does not care about its environmental impacts nor about being ethical.
Product Integrity/Quality Assurance (aeropostale.com)
Aéropostale | Company Overview & News (forbes.com)
20 Things You Didn't Know About Aeropostale (moneyinc.com)
Aeropostale Review - Must Read This Before Buying (honestbrandreviews.com)