WWD: AEO Joins Cotton Trust Protocol

By: Kaley Roshitsh | Link to article

Certifications still seem to be a hard-and-fast way to signal ESG efforts.

As of Thursday, American Eagle joined brands like J.Crew as a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

The Trust Protocol is an article-level traceability tool that enables enrolled farmers to track and measure cotton bale sustainability progress across a number of areas: water use, soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency. For the past growing season, 1.1 million acres were enrolled in the program.

AEO’s stable of brands includes American Eagle, Aerie, Off/lne by Aerie, Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed brands.

Through its Protocol Consumption Management Solution, Trust Protocol links each individual cotton bale to a unique Permanent Bale number or “PBI.” This data is then matched against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cotton database. In a partnership with technology player TextileGenesis, the Trust Protocol is able to trace each level of the supply chain from bale to retail.

“AEO is excited to partner with the Trust Protocol as we work to move our sustainability practices forward, preserve our planet and meet the ambitious targets we have set on our journey to build a better world,” said Mark Rose, senior vice president, production and sourcing at AEO. “The Trust Protocol will help provide AEO the opportunity to further verify our responsible sourcing practices and demonstrate the progress we’re making toward meeting our environmental targets.”

Centered on three key areas — planet, people and practices — AEO uses the tool to help better fine tune its ESG strategies across the raw material stage.

WWD Exclusive: AE Brand Launches Men’s Activewear

By: Kellie Ell | Link to article

“We call it couch to court,” AEO’s Jennifer Foyle said about the new AE 24/7 collection.

American Eagle is upping its menswear game.

The AE Brand, which is part of the American Eagle Oufitters family, is growing its menswear business with the launch of a new activewear collection for men called AE 24/7, meant to be worn “whenever, whatever, wherever,” according to Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director of the AE, Aerie and Unsubscribed brands.

“We call it couch to court,” Foyle told WWD in an exclusive interview. “It’s comfortable sportswear that you can work out in, but also live in. On the court or off the court, we’re going to offer an outfit for him.”

That explains the collection’s three main categories: “Good Vibes” (meant to be worn all day); “Hangout” (with soft fabrics meant for lounging), and “Training” (think moisture-wicking and performancewear).

“It’s no different than our leggings business,” Foyle added, referring to the retailer’s activewear brand for women, Offline by Aerie. “With our girls who go to yoga and then coffee [in the same leggings].”

In fact, the success of Offline, which the company launched in the summer of 2020 — and the continued evolution of the activewear and wellness markets, which show no signs of slowing down, even in inflationary times — have been major catalysts for AE 24/7.

“The men’s activewear business is a growing market,” Foyle explained. “There’s white space there for innovation at the right price points.”

The executive added that in the last year the nameplate brand had “nice results in men’s. We realized there’s something there [for more]. We’ve carried elements of men’s activewear before. Now we’re just rounding it out in general. We’re offering a more robust product offering.”

But it’s not just menswear that’s growing. The entire American Eagle Outfitters’ portfolio — which includes the AE, Aerie, Offline, Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed brands — is on a roll thanks to its niche in the market. The retailer recently had its second highest holiday sales period in the company’s history and is on track to reach the high end of its quarterly expectations.

The company will release its full, fiscal year 2022 results on March 1.

Meanwhile, the AE 24/7 collection launches today at ae.com and in select stores. Pieces from the assortment will slowly roll out to more stores as the company continues to gather learnings, Foyle said. The collection — which comes in sizes XS to 3XL and ranges in price from $19.95 to $69.95 — includes T-shirts, shorts, boxer briefs, hoodies, joggers and accessories, such as hats, socks and messenger bags. About 100 pieces in total, including various colorways. In addition, many of the pieces are made from sustainable fabrics.

The collection will kick off with a 48-hour social media challenge, asking YouTube, TikTok and Instagram influencers and creators to post reels of themselves in pieces from AE 24/7, demonstrating what being active means to them.

“The video clips get you into the soul of the brand, the DNA,” Foyle said. “It’s a whole 360 approach.”

“The whole AE brand is coming to life,” she added. “I’m so excited for what’s to come with this brand — the whole portfolio. There’s an end game here and we could really win in the men’s activewear category.”

WWD: American Eagle Outfitters Sees Second-best Holiday Sales in Its History

By: Evan Clark | Link to article

The retailer came in at the high end of its outlook with a modest sales decline from the very strong season in 2021.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is coming out of the holiday season with revenues and profits on track to hit the high end of its projections. 

But sales still showed a modest decline from a year earlier as the consumer mentality shifted from have-to-buy-before-it’s-all-gone to something more cautious given inflation and the threat of recession.  

The retailer, which is parent to American Eagle and Aerie, said its fourth-quarter brand revenues were down about 3 percent as of Saturday. That puts the company, which projected in November that revenues would be down by midsingle digits, at the higher end of its guidance. By brand, the third-quarter trends carried over into the fourth quarter, which has Aerie leading the way. AEO’s Quiet Logistics business is expected to add 2 percentage points to its fourth-quarter brand revenue.

The company also sees gross margins coming in at the high end of its guidance, set at 32 to 33 percent in November.

Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s executive chairman and chief executive officer, said: “Following record performance last year, we achieved our second highest holiday sales period in company history. I am pleased with results across our brands, and to see profit margins tracking at the high end of our expectations, powered by excellent inventory management and promotional discipline.

“Looking ahead, we are focused on delivering a leading customer experience across brands, while prioritizing free cash flow and shareholder returns,” Schottenstein said. 

Inventories at the end of the quarter are expected to be down compared with a year earlier.

That reflects the much more cautious stance the industry is taking heading into 2023.  

The question that remains is just how much inventory is left in the overall retail system — and that will become clearer as more retailers weigh in with holiday results. 

In holiday 2021, COVID-19 supply chain backups caused out-of-stocks that helped spur shoppers to buy at full price. Last year, merchants stocked up only to find the consumer had cooled.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Fourth Quarter Revenue and Profit Tracking at the High End of Guidance

PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE) – American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) today announced that fourth quarter-to-date brand revenue, through Saturday, January 7, 2023, is down approximately 3%, on the higher end of our expectations, with American Eagle tracking slightly ahead and Aerie in line with expectations. Quiet Logistics is expected to add 2 percentage points to fourth quarter brand revenue. Gross margins are now expected to be on the high end of the company’s guidance of 32-33%, reflecting controlled promotions fueled by strong inventory management. Current inventory is well-positioned with quarter-end inventories expected to be down compared to last year, in-line with prior guidance.

“Following record performance last year, we achieved our second highest holiday sales period in company history. I am pleased to see profit margins tracking at the high end of our expectations, powered by excellent inventory management and promotional discipline,” commented Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Looking ahead, we are focused on delivering a leading customer experience across brands, while prioritizing free cash flow and shareholder returns.”

The company will release fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 results on March 1, 2023 and will host a conference call to review financial results on that date.

* * * *

About American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is a leading global specialty retailer offering high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices under its American Eagle® and Aerie® brands. Our purpose is to show the world that there’s REAL power in the optimism of youth. The company operates stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong and Japan, and ships to 81 countries worldwide through its websites. American Eagle and Aerie merchandise also is available at more than 260 international locations operated by licensees in 26 countries. In 2022, AEO released its first annual Building a Better World report, which outlines two decades of ESG achievements through the company’s Planet, People and Practices initiatives. For more information, please visit www.aeo-inc.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This release and related statements by management contain forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events, including fourth quarter and annual fiscal 2022 results. All forward-looking statements made by the company involve material risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on many important factors, some of which may be beyond the company’s control. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “potential,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise and even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized. The following factors, in addition to the risks disclosed in Item 1A., Risk Factors, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022 and in any other filings that we may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in some cases have affected, and in the future could affect, the company’s financial performance and could cause actual results for fiscal 2022 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any of the forward-looking statements included in this release or otherwise made by management: the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related operational disruptions; the risk that the company’s operating, financial and capital plans may not be achieved; our inability to anticipate customer demand and changing fashion trends and to manage our inventory commensurately; seasonality of our business; our inability to achieve planned store financial performance; our inability to react to raw material cost, labor and energy cost increases; our inability to gain market share in the face of declining shopping center traffic; our inability to respond to changes in e-commerce and leverage omni-channel demands; our inability to expand internationally; difficulty with our international merchandise sourcing strategies; challenges with information technology systems, including safeguarding against security breaches; and global economic, public health, social, political and financial conditions, and the resulting impact on consumer confidence and consumer spending, as well as other changes in consumer discretionary spending habits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity.

CONTACT:    

Olivia Messina

412-432-3300

LineMedia@ae.com

Building A Better World: 2022 Giving Recap

Here’s a look at some of the organizations we supported in 2022 through American Eagle, Aerie and the generosity of our customers.

A Message to Our Suppliers: Prohibited Sourcing Regions and Entities Policy

View our previous policy from November 2020 here.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (“AEO”), is committed to upholding a high level of social responsibility as it relates to the treatment of workers, by agents, vendors, factories, subcontractors and others in our supply chain. In that spirit, we work both as an individual company as well as with our industry partners – including the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), American Apparel & Footwear Association, National Retail Federation (NRF), and the US Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) – to help advance human rights worldwide, which includes stopping the practice of forced labor.

At AEO, we do not tolerate the use of forced labor in our supply chain. We have taken action and will continue to actively monitor our supply chain to help ensure that our partners abide by the same guiding rules and principles in which we believe and take pride. Specifically, AEO has a comprehensive Supplier Code of Conduct which is based upon internationally accepted standards, including the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s core conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  AEO uses this Code of Conduct to work collaboratively with its factory partners to ensure they meet AEO’s requirements.  To that end, the Code of Conduct explicitly prohibits its suppliers from using “any form of forced, involuntary or trafficked labor, including prison, bonded, and indentured.”

Additionally, in 2018, AEO signed on to the AAFA and FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment, a proactive industry effort to address potential risks that migrant workers can face related to forced labor.

Furthermore, in 2019, AEO implemented a Forced Labor and Migrant Worker Policy.  The purpose of this policy is to eliminate the presence of forced labor and to ensure that migrant workers hired by suppliers are adequately protected from potential exploitation. Suppliers utilized by AEO must agree to comply with this policy prior to manufacturing anything for AEO.

Due to reports of forced labor and other violations of human rights, we have proactively prohibited our suppliers from sourcing form certain regions and from doing business with certain entities. In particular:

  • Suppliers are not permitted to manufacture any product or use any raw material from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan or the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China in any AEO brands’ products.
  • Suppliers are further prohibited from conducting direct or indirect business with any party that has personal or business links to the XUAR, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) or any entities on the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. Indirect business includes the participation of XPCC or any of its Affiliates anywhere in our supply chain, including the provision, production or manufacture of cotton, yarn, fabric or finished goods, financial transactions, or any other provision of goods or services.

We expect all suppliers to take steps to maintain accurate maps of their supply chains concerning the source of raw cotton or cotton products and any other materials purchased for use in AEO products. Such steps include, but are not limited to, obtaining country of origin certificates for raw cotton and other materials used in spinning yard for fabric; auditing; and testing to verify origin information.

AEO will remain vigilant in its commitment to social responsibility and to ensuring that its suppliers continue to adhere to our standards.

AEO Shines A Light on Antisemitism 

For the second year in a row, AEO supports the Shine A Light campaign to dispel the darkness and illuminate hope

Throughout December, AEO will once again unite with more than 100 organizations to Shine A Light on antisemitism in all its modern forms. As antisemitism continues to be expressed publicly and more frequently, it’s critically important to stand up to the harmful prejudices and stereotypes against the Jewish community and to support causes that help to dismantle racism, discrimination and inequity in all forms.

Shine A Light is a comprehensive initiative to spotlight the dangers of antisemitism through education, community partnerships, workplace engagement and community advocacy. Drawing inspiration from Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, Shine A Light encourages Jewish and non-Jewish communities alike to speak up and send a message that antisemitism, in all forms, won’t be tolerated in our communities.

AE’s Times Square billboards are shining a light on the campaign –  sharing the importance of inclusivity and loving your neighbor. As a company that celebrates individuality, belonging and diversity, AEO is committed to doing our part to create positive change while helping build a better world for our associates and our communities.

“This Chanukah, AEO is proud to shine our bright lights in Times Square to encourage all people to join together in the fight for freedom against fear, antisemitism, racism and discrimination, said Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “AEO is centered on inclusivity and we are committed to building a better world for all communities.”

You can learn more about how to join Shine A Light’s efforts to take steps against hate and illuminate hope here. 

WWD: Delivering Good Receives $100,000 Grant From Aerie Real Foundation

By: Lisa Lockwood | Link to article

American Eagle Outfitters’ Unsubscribed brand will also donate 25 percent of sales on Giving Tuesday.

On Giving Tuesday, Delivering Good said it received a $100,000 grant from the Aerie Real Foundation to help build the confidence of women impacted by poverty and tragedy. The grant will enable Delivering Good to distribute the more than $1 million worth of merchandise donated by retailers and manufacturers.

In addition, American Eagle Outfitters’ brand, Unsubscribed, will also donate 25 percent of Giving Tuesday sales to Delivering Good.

“AEO and Aerie have a long history of supporting Delivering Good and we’re honored to continue partnering with the organization to make the world a more positive place by inspiring and building confidence in women,” said Jennifer Foyle, president, executive creative director, American Eagle and Aerie. “When you look good, you feel good, and we’re thrilled to help provide new clothing to those in need, while furthering the #AerieReal movement and empowering women to love themselves, inside and out.”

Since 2019, AEO, its brand and customers have donated more than $1.1 million to Delivering Good, in addition to merchandise to support unhoused and underprivileged youth. The latest grant from the Aerie Real Foundation builds on AEO’s long history of supporting the organization’s mission and follows Aerie’s recent donation of more than 150 cartons of new merchandise to the nonprofit.

“Delivering Good is in a special situation, as we operate at the intersection of social impact and environmental responsibility, ensuring clothing and other products are donated to people who need them rather than being discarded,” said Matthew Fasciano, Delivering Good’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re so grateful for our longstanding partnership with AEO and its brands and to be chosen as an Aerie Real Foundation’s Signature Grant recipient, which will help us continue to positively impact people’s lives, while also giving retail companies an opportunity to donate products and operate more sustainably.”

This past October, AEO and Aerie launched the Aerie Real Foundation to build confidence in women, foster and inclusive community and protect the planet. The first recipient was NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association), which also received a $100,000 grant to fund the organization’s Campus Warriors program on more than 70 college campuses, and its body acceptance workshops.

Delivering Good provides people impacted by poverty and tragedy with new merchandise donated by retailers and manufacturers. Since 1985, Delivering Good has distributed more than $2 billion of new clothing, home goods, toys, furniture, books and other consumer products through its network of more than 1,000 community partners.

American Eagle Outfitters Reports Third Quarter Results

AEO Delivers Third Quarter Results Ahead of Expectations with Meaningful Margin Improvement from First Half

  • Aerie achieves all-time high third quarter revenue and operating profit
  • Actions to right size inventory and expenses fuel sequential profit improvement
  • Operating profit of $118 million exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels
  • Continuing to prioritize profit recovery and cash generation

November 22, 2022

PITTSBURGH — (BUSINESS WIRE) – American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended October 29, 2022.

“I’m pleased to deliver a third quarter that exceeded our expectations, with profit margins meaningfully improved from the first half of the year. Bold actions to rationalize inventory and reduce expenses are paying off. Our inventory is in good shape, up 8% to last year, with progress continuing into the fourth quarter. We are staying disciplined and focused on improving profitability and cash flow, while maintaining a healthy balance sheet,” commented Jay Schottenstein, AEO’s Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.

“As we navigate the current macro environment, we remain focused on our strategic initiatives — leading with innovation and judiciously investing in capabilities that will differentiate us in the long-run. Our organization is strong and I have tremendous confidence in the resilience of our brands. We are excited about upcoming merchandise collections and look forward to delivering an exceptional customer experience across brands and channels this holiday season,” Jay continued.

Third Quarter 2022 Results:

  • Total net revenue of $1.2 billion was down 3% to the third quarter of 2021. Our supply chain business, Quiet Platforms, contributed approximately 2 percentage points to revenue growth. Brand revenue declined 5%, better than the company’s expectation for a high single digit decline.
  • Aerie revenue of $350 million rose 11% versus third quarter 2021, reflecting a 24% 3-year revenue CAGR. Comp sales declined 3% versus third quarter 2021 and was up 59% to third quarter 2019.
  • American Eagle revenue of $838 million declined 11% versus third quarter 2021 reflecting a negative 1% 3-year revenue CAGR. Comp sales declined 10% versus third quarter 2021 and was flat to third quarter 2019.
  • Consolidated store revenue declined 4%. Total digital revenue declined 5%. Compared to pre-pandemic third quarter 2019, store revenue increased 3% and digital revenue increased 35%.
  • Gross profit of $480 million compared to $565 million in the third quarter of 2021 and reflected a gross margin rate of 38.7% compared to 44.3% last year. Higher markdowns and increased product costs drove approximately 400 basis points of the rate decline and Quiet Platforms had a 70 basis point impact as that business continues to scale. Rent and warehousing also deleveraged, partially offset by lower incentive compensation.
  • Selling, general and administrative expense of $311 million decreased 1% due to lower incentive compensation. SG&A increased 50 basis points as a rate to sales versus third quarter 2021.
  • Operating income of $118 million reflected a 9.5% margin. This included an approximately $10 million loss from Quiet Platforms. 
  • GAAP diluted EPS of 0.42 includes an approximately $1 million addback to net income of interest expense associated with the company’s convertible notes.
  • GAAP average diluted shares outstanding were 196 million including 8 million shares of unrealized dilution associated with the company’s convertible notes

Inventory

Total ending inventory at cost increased 8% to $798 million compared to $740 million last year, with units up 7%. This reflects a meaningful improvement from last quarter’s increase of 36%, reflecting actions to bring receipts more in line with demand. Inventory is current for the holiday season. The company continues to expect fourth quarter ending inventory to be down to last year.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled $71 million in the third quarter and $199 million year-to-date. Management continues to expect full-year spend to approximate $250 million.

Quiet Platforms

The logistics subsidiary is providing significant operational efficiencies and needed capacity for our brands. The third party customer base is ramping up as other brands look to upgrade their supply chain operations and drive efficiencies across their business to better compete in the current retail environment. As we evaluate our plans for Quiet, we are exploring different options to support future growth.

Shareholder Returns

The quarterly cash dividend remains paused to support financial flexibility, while navigating the near-term macro environment. Year-to-date, the company has returned $265 million in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, reflecting its highest level of returns since 2015.

Outlook

For the fourth quarter, the company is guiding brand revenue down in the mid single digits, and expects brand comps to be consistent with the third quarter. The company is also guiding fourth quarter gross margin in the range of 32% to 33%, at the higher end of previous guidance. While significant progress has been made in right-sizing inventory, management is taking a cautious view given what is likely to be a highly promotional Holiday season.

Management continues to drive expense reductions across store payroll, corporate expense, professional services and advertising. The company remains on track to deliver $100 million in reductions to the original plan and expect SG&A dollars in the fourth quarter to be approximately flat to last year.

Conference Call and Supplemental Financial Information

Management will host a conference call and real time webcast today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To listen to the call, dial 1-877-407-0789 or internationally dial 1-201-689-8562 or go to www.aeo-inc.com to access the webcast and audio replay.  Additionally, a financial results presentation is posted on the company’s website.

* * * *

About American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is a leading global specialty retailer offering high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices under its American Eagle® and Aerie® brands. Our purpose is to show the world that there’s REAL power in the optimism of youth. The company operates stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong and Japan, and ships to 81 countries worldwide through its websites. American Eagle and Aerie merchandise also is available at more than 260 international locations operated by licensees in 26 countries. In 2022, AEO released its first annual Building a Better World report, which outlines two decades of ESG achievements through the company’s Planet, People and Practices initiatives.  For more information, please visit www.aeo-inc.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This release and related statements by management contain forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events, including fourth quarter and annual fiscal 2022 results. All forward-looking statements made by the company involve material risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on many important factors, some of which may be beyond the company’s control. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “potential,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise and even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized. The following factors, in addition to the risks disclosed in Item 1A., Risk Factors, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022 and in any other filings that we may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in some cases have affected, and in the future could affect, the company’s financial performance and could cause actual results for fiscal 2022 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any of the forward-looking statements included in this release or otherwise made by management: the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related operational disruptions; the risk that the company’s operating, financial and capital plans may not be achieved; our inability to anticipate customer demand and changing fashion trends and to manage our inventory commensurately; seasonality of our business; our inability to achieve planned store financial performance; our inability to react to raw material cost, labor and energy cost increases; our inability to gain market share in the face of declining shopping center traffic; our inability to respond to changes in e-commerce and leverage omni-channel demands; our inability to expand internationally; difficulty with our international merchandise sourcing strategies; challenges with information technology systems, including safeguarding against security breaches; and global economic, public health, social, political and financial conditions, and the resulting impact on consumer confidence and consumer spending, as well as other changes in consumer discretionary spending habits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity.

CONTACT:    

Olivia Messina

412-432-3300

LineMedia@ae.com

AEO Associates Honor Aerie Buyer and Late Husband by Supporting UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Cape Day Celebration

Meghan (Meggie), the fleece and sweaters buyer on the Aerie team, sadly lost her husband, Michael, earlier this year after a long battle with brain cancer. Throughout his battle, Michael developed compassion for children in similar situations who may not fully understand their illness. Because of this, he wrote and published the book Adventures at the Hospital to bring fun to a normally sterile environment – as well as celebrate patients and doctors as the superheroes they are. Before Michael passed, he donated thousands of copies of his book to the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

To honor Meggie and Michael, our AEO and Aerie team, along with their family and friends, came together to fundraise in support of the hospital’s inaugural Cape Day. The special event celebrated the many heroes at the hospital – from the strong patients and unstoppable parent advocates, to the world-changing researchers, compassionate staff and life-saving doctors. 

With AEO matching associate donations, more than $26,000 was donated to the hospital’s foundation, covering the entire cost of Cape Day and more! AEO offers a matching donation program in support of associates and the causes they hold near and dear to their hearts. We’re incredibly grateful to Meggie for sharing her story and are so proud to help support one of our own by giving back and celebrating Michael’s memory.