Is Aerie Fast Fashion? A Review of Its Ethical Practices

Aerie is a well-known brand that specializes in basic items such as bras, lounging clothing, and underwear. American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie like its parent is unique as it unapologetically showcases realistic photographs of its models in its commercials. Their #AerieREAL campaign has motivated individuals of all forms and curves to embrace self-esteem. Even though Aerie is cheap and chic sometimes it raises eyebrow whether it is a fast fashion. Aerie is emphatically an eco-conscious brand, although it is not entirely green, they have taken measures to be. This is definitely a brand that is warm hearted but there is still so much potential to improve in sustainability.

Aerie, an American Eagle Outfitters brand, has grown into a popular name in the apparel industry, especially for those seeking comfortable, inclusive, and body-positive clothing. Many consumers admire Aerie’s commitment to body diversity and mental health advocacy. But, as with any brand, there’s a growing question among shoppers: Is Aerie fast fashion? And if it is, what does that mean in terms of the company’s ethics?

In this review, we’ll look at what “fast fashion” really means, whether Aerie fits this category, and how ethical the brand’s practices are when it comes to environmental sustainability, labor practices, and social responsibility.

Understanding Fast Fashion and Its Impact

Fast fashion refers to a retail model focused on producing trendy, inexpensive clothing in large quantities. Brands known for fast fashion are typically characterized by:

1. Quick production cycles – items move rapidly from design to store shelves to match the latest trends.
2. Low-cost materials and production – keeping prices affordable but often at the expense of quality.
3. Environmental strain – fast fashion often leads to waste, excessive water use, and high carbon emissions.
4. Labor issues – the fast production cycle and pressure to keep costs low can lead to poor working conditions for factory workers.

When people ask, “Is Aerie fast fashion?” they want to know if Aerie follows these same practices. To answer that, we’ll need to look at how Aerie stacks up on each of these points.

Aerie’s Production Model: Does It Fit the Fast Fashion Criteria?

Aerie does not seem to fit in the same mold as the majority of fast fashion brands as it does not churn collections every couple of weeks. Rather, Aerie’s collections focus on steady classics such as swimsuits, underwear, and loungewear. Its collections can also be said to feature a retro look instead of a fast fashion appeal. That would mean Aerie has a slow paced collection.

In Aerie’s case, even though they add items every now and then, it looks like their addition time is not as quick as most followers of fast fashion do. But certainly a brand that does not run through trends has no loose tie to fast fashion. With Aerie being available in many malls with a rather low price makes it seem like parts of fast fashion in its model.

The Environmental Impact: Is Aerie Ethical?

One of the biggest critiques of fast fashion is its effect on the environment. Clothes made quickly and cheaply often come at the cost of increased carbon emissions, excessive water usage, and fabric waste.

Aerie has taken some steps toward sustainability, like eliminating certain harmful chemicals from their production and using eco-friendly materials in specific product lines. For example, some Aerie swimwear is made from recycled materials, and they have experimented with more sustainable fabrics like organic cotton and recycled polyester. However, only a fraction of their collections are made from these materials, and Aerie has yet to fully integrate sustainable practices into all of its lines.

Another sustainability concern is Aerie’s production locations, which are primarily in countries known for low-cost manufacturing like Bangladesh and Vietnam. While these facilities help keep prices affordable, they raise questions about carbon footprint and the environmental toll of transporting materials and finished products across the globe.

In terms of environmental efforts, Aerie is taking positive steps but has room for improvement if it wants to avoid being seen as part of the fast fashion industry. Currently, Aerie sits somewhere in between, with some sustainable practices but not enough to be considered a true leader in eco-friendly fashion.

Labor Practices: Are Aerie’s Clothes Made Ethically?

When it comes to the issue of fast fashion ethics, the Labor practices are an integral part of the puzzle. Fast fashion is predominantly associated with lack of payment and massive work hours and poor conditions more so in economies that do not have enough labor magnification.

For example, explains Aerie parent company American Eagle Outfitters has a detailed code of conduct that every supplier has to comply themselves with. The code outlines fair wages, reasonable working hours and even safe working conditions. However, as is the case with many others, who export jobs to third world countries, there’s only so much one can enforce.

Some critics argue that Aerie can do a lot more to practice transparency when issuing such statements on labor practices, including the location of factories sites and more importantly the conditions. But for Aerie, what is merely included in the employee handbook, such as these practices, wouldn’t be enough to say Aerie’s production is ethical as there are already complications in the fashion industry as it stands.

In general sense, Aerie does not seem to have adopted labor practices that are that ruthless but are better for the brand than adopting “ignore me” strategies received by brands that are less ethical.

Social Responsibility: What Does Aerie Do for the Community?

Aerie has made a name for itself with its inclusive and body-positive campaigns, which have resonated with a broad audience. Its #AerieREAL movement, which promotes self-confidence and body diversity, has won praise for showing unretouched images of models and using people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities in their marketing.

In terms of social impact, Aerie is doing better than many fast fashion brands. It promotes mental health awareness, champions self-acceptance, and uses its platform to support causes like the National Eating Disorders Association. This focus on positive social messaging sets it apart from typical fast fashion brands, which often face criticism for promoting unrealistic beauty standards.

Pros of Aerie as Fast Fashion:

• Affordable Basics: Aerie offers reasonably priced, comfortable essentials like bras, underwear, and loungewear.
• Body Positivity: Through the #AerieREAL campaign, they promote inclusivity and real, unretouched images, empowering diverse body types.
• Sustainability Efforts: They’ve introduced some eco-friendly materials, like recycled fabrics, in specific lines.

Cons of Aerie as Fast Fashion:

• Limited Sustainability: Only a fraction of products are eco-friendly, and overall sustainability efforts are modest.
• Mass Production: They rely on large-scale, low-cost manufacturing, raising ethical concerns.
• Transparency: Limited insight into factory conditions and labor practices.

Aerie Made Real GoodTM

The “REAL Good” badge was developed to identify products from AEO and Aerie that feature more sustainable raw materials like recycled fibers or were manufactured using more eco-friendly manufacturing processes, such as AEO’s Water Leadership Program compliant factories. REAL Good styles offer feel-good pieces made with sustainably produced or sourced fabrics for greater environmental responsibility.

American Eagle’s Real Good Jeans are manufactured at factories and fabric mills that meet AEO’s Water Leadership Program criteria, such as reducing and managing water use; producing less wastewater; using non-hazardous chemicals in its production processes; as well as water recycling programs.
Real Good certification applies to clothing items made with materials sourced sustainably, such as:

Better Cotton: Better Cotton is dedicated to fostering cotton communities’ survival while protecting and restoring the environment. When purchasing cotton products from AEO, your purchase helps promote responsible cotton production through Better Cotton.

Recycled Cotton: Recycling can transform waste into value by increasing fiber lifespan and diverting them away from ending up in landfills. Selecting recycled cotton helps conserve resources by decreasing water and chemical usage needed for growing virgin cotton crops.

Recycled Polyester: Reusing waste promotes recycling streams that keep polyester out of landfills. By choosing recycled polyester over virgin polyester, we reduce our dependence on chemicals sourced from fossil fuels.

Recycled Nylon: By recycling waste into recycled nylon yarn, recycled nylon helps promote recycling streams that keep nylon out of landfills and reduce our dependency on fossil-fuel-derived chemicals. By selecting recycled nylon over virgin nylon we help lower our dependency on fossil fuels for chemicals production.

Organic Cotton: Employing natural solutions to manage pests and build healthy soil, without using synthetic pesticides, herbicides, defoliants, fertilizers or GMO seeds.

Sustainably Sourced Man-Made Cellulosics: Fibers made from wood pulp produced sustainably. We work in partnership with Canopy, an environmental non-profit, to ensure the wood comes from a sustainably managed forest.

Solution Dying: Adds colorant directly to synthetic fibers, helping them resist color fading over time and stay looking new for longer. Furthermore, solution dying reduces both water use and time requirements compared to traditional methods; some apparel items may even offer additional sustainability features like Natural Dyes: plant-based colorants that reduce our dependence on synthetic chemicals.

Aerie Cascale
In 2016, Aerie joined Cascale, joining an industry approach for environmental assessments of factories. Cascale’s Higg Index suite of tools helps them assess the environmental impacts associated with factory operations in over 400 factories, laundries, mills and trim suppliers across North America. Aerie specifically uses water and carbon data as indicators to track progress toward their overall goals.

In 2022, AEO conducted Facility Environmental Modules (FEM) self-assessments from all eligible Tier 1 factories, mills and subcontracts; with verified submissions coming from 87% of strategic apparel factories; 87% of subcontracted wet process factories and 91% of strategic mills/trims suppliers. Aerie plans on continuing this collection rate while increasing its number of verified scores.

The Final Verdict: Is Aerie Fast Fashion and Is It Ethical?

So, where does Aerie land on the fast fashion spectrum? While Aerie does show some characteristics of fast fashion, it’s not a classic fast fashion brand like Forever 21 or Shein. Aerie’s focus on staple items, efforts toward body positivity, and selective sustainable practices suggest a model that leans more ethical than many fast fashion giants. However, Aerie’s affordability and reliance on large-scale, low-cost manufacturing still tie it to some aspects of the fast fashion industry.

To call Aerie fully ethical would be a stretch. While it has made significant strides in promoting mental health and self-acceptance, the brand’s sustainability and labor efforts are only partially developed. If Aerie wants to step out of the fast fashion category entirely, it would need to adopt more comprehensive eco-friendly practices, improve transparency in its supply chain, and commit to more sustainable production methods.

Aerie is a great option for people who are looking for economical yet ethical alternatives, especially for their daily wear. It has a low participation in fast fashion, although it doesn’t rank near the top either. While offering some positives such as social interaction and body inclusiveness, Aerie is a brand that still has areas that require improvement such as environment and labour sustainability.

So whether we classify Aerie as being “fast fashion” is dependent on how narrow the definition is in each individual’s eyes as some might feel any form of Aerie practices still widely remains a fast fashion brand. However, in the case that someone is opting to wear clothes that surpass the general criteria of fast fashion without being fully ethically sustainable, Aerie works well. As Winston Churchill said, “There Is No Such Thing As Bad Traffic,” be aware that not all ethical fashion is a destination; it is a journey, and Aerie too has greater heights to reach.