By: Celia Shatzman | Link to article
American Eagle and Bubble teamed up on a limited-edition collection spanning skincare and fashion meant to tap into everyday essentials and feeling comfortable in your own skin.
Skincare and leisurewear go hand-in-hand. Scroll through any TikTok or Instagram video and you’ll notice that a cute and cozy matching set, often accessorized with a puffy headband, are practically the uniform of beauty influencers. A partnership between Bubble and American Eagle is creating a one-stop-shop for that very crowded Venn diagram.
“We heard from our community for years that they really want to extend Bubble beyond just skincare,” says Shai Eisenman, Founder and CEO of Bubble. “We are a derm-developed skincare brand, so for us to go and actually do things like this isn’t our focus. American Eagle is one of the most loved brands by our community, so when we started talking to them, it felt like an amazing potential collaboration. The fabrics are amazing, the brand is incredible, and so size inclusive. Bubble‘s mission is to help people be comfortable in their own skin and we’re extending beyond skin to be comfortable in what you wear; it’s something you could lounge in.”
The collaboration was years in the making. “In this over-collabed environment many brands just look for a quick hookup,” says Craig Brommers, Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle. “We knew that Bubble had a strong and active Gen Z community. We were very inspired by some of their quirky and creative marketing tactics, and I think that they thought the same—vice versa. American Eagle is the number one jeans brand for Gen Z. This will be our first ever beauty apparel-oriented collaboration. When you combine communities and brands, yet still find something unique, that’s where the magic happens.”
The two brands joined forces to create a collection that focuses on daily rituals and routines. Ideal for any GRWM video, the fashion collection includes co-branded pieces like hoodies with matching shorts, tees, a pajama set, headbands, slippers and, of course, denim, since it wouldn’t be American Eagle without it. Bubble curated exclusive skincare sets for the occasion, tucked into eye-catching cosmetic cases. The collab also includes Bubble’s strongest color product yet, a cherry flavored lip balm with a pop of red color.
“We worked for a very long time with the American Eagle team to go through plans for the design—how it’s going to look like, how it’s going to feel and how could it be something exciting for the college age, but also for the older and younger consumer,” Eisenman says. “There are so many little details that American Eagle executed so well, like the ‘face the day’ on the sweatshirt. So much of it was how to bring the brand to life in a unique way. It felt like the perfect combination.”
Creating the collection was truly a collaborative process. “Our design team would regularly bring swatches, samples and early concepts to the Bubble headquarters so their team could experience everything firsthand, from fabric to how Bubble’s signature bright color palette translated into apparel, and you don’t always get that,” Brommers says. “The Bubble team really leaned into what they were hoping to achieve, and our team was inspired and excited by that as well. Both brands stand for self-expression and optimism. [They also share] a sense of community. Both brands are not only innovative, but both surprise their communities, and sometimes surprise the world—the willingness to be innovative and take risks, yet still stay true to your brand, are shared DNA.”
American Eagle is making their TikTok Shop debut for the launch. “It’s a momentous moment for our company, and to do it with this collaboration leading the story is purposeful,” Brommers says. “We’ve certainly noticed over here in the apparel world that beauty has seen some tremendous success on TikTok shops, and we’re very excited about leaning into that world.”
The launch is kicking off with a party in the American Eagle flagship store in SoHo in Manhattan with the theme of “get unready with me.” Both brands collaborated on a community-driven campaign that spotlights Bubble ambassadors (there are over 100,000!) and American Eagle creators that will be showcased across social, retail and event channels. “Both teams are very excited about the big event that we’ll have in our SoHo flagship store,” Brommers says. “Both brands, as you can imagine, have very large creator communities that we will lean into and help us tell the story. For the launch, we’ll be selling Bubble in-store. It’ll have a major presence on our e-commerce and digital commerce platforms as well. We’ll also be taking out some billboards, including our 30-story tall digital billboard in Times Square.”
For Eisenman, the best part of the collaboration was seeing Bubble come to life in apparel. “When you work to create a brand and it’s in a very specific category, it’s exciting to suddenly see it come to life entering new categories,” she says. “The fact that I am so excited to be wearing these clothes is such an exciting moment as well. They came out so beautiful and the American Eagle team has done such a phenomenal job because they feel like the brand—also really cool, fun and comfortable. Extending Bubble to lifestyle, to a place that never existed before, is something that we are super, super proud of. It shows how unique that aspect of reinventing how clinical skincare looks and feels, and what emotional connection it drives with its community.”
“Modern brands need to be programmed like streaming shows,” Brommers says. “When you tune in to your favorite show, you know the main characters and the main plot line, but in order to keep people tuning in and curious about what’s next, you not only need plot twists to move the story forward, but sometimes you need guest characters. For both American Eagle and Bubble, this is a guest character that makes sense, and brings fun, excitement, interest and a sense of urgency—I need to have it now. This plot twist adding this so-called guest character element to both of our brand stories will be something that will be very well loved.”
