American Eagle is a youth culture brand that celebrates freedom and individuality. They began ‘AExME’ as an initiative to feature real customers styling themselves in their own spaces. In an effort to build on the momentum of this ongoing initiative, they partnered with Universal Music Group to identify a unique platform for the brand to own in music.

Together American Eagle and Universal Music Group developed ‘AExME Artists’ – A platform for young artists to voice their individuality in music. The collective was handpicked by Universal Music Group and included a diverse range of emerging artists who represent the pulse of today's youth culture. Each artist was outfitted in AE denim through the entirety of the campaign as viewers followed their journey into music through docuseries style video content. The campaign also provided artists a stage to perform on at select AE Flagship locations across the country. Post-performance, artists met with fans directly and signed exclusive ‘AExME Artists’ merch developed for the campaign.

Music is an area that’s essential to the everyday life of today’s youth. They’re passionate about fashion, but even twice as passionate about music. They also consider musicians the most influential individuals in culture. In order to leverage this fandom, the ‘AExME Artists’ program identified a collective of young artists on the rise with the potential to become the stars of tomorrow. The collective comprised of Lewis Capaldi, Bea Miller, Trinidad Cardona, Jade Bird, and Bibi Bourelly.

To tease the partnership, ‘AExME Artists’ was initially integrated into AE’s Back-To-School campaign from July - September. At the campaign launch party, Bea Miller performed an intimate set. While on the festival front, Lewis Capaldi performed his first Lollapalooza set entirely outfitted in AE and surprised fans with an exclusive AE meet & greet backstage post-performance.

In October 2018, the ‘AExME Artist’ campaign officially kicked off with a bus tour stopping at AE’s flagship stores across Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and LA. At each destination, artists performed intimate shows, met with fans, and created customized AE jeans.

Furthermore, each artist shared their music journey, personal style, creative process, and live performance in a four-part docuseries. The content was shared on AE’s social channels and reposted on artist channels.

To amplify local awareness, Universal Music Group College Reps collaborated with on-campus micro-influencers and curated an AE look demonstrating their own individuality.

The ‘AExME Artists’ campaign generated 7 million impressions and 94K engagements over the span of 4 months across all artists social channels, social takeovers, and college influencer accounts. Beyond the success of the brand campaign, the partnership demonstrated the ability to identify true up-and-coming talent in music.

Artists moved from developing acts in 2018 to global stars of today, with several earning their biggest achievements to date. Bea Miller's new single generated over 165 million Spotify streams. Jade Bird made her first debut on the Billboard charts and sold out her first headlining U.S. tour. Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” reached #1 on UK charts for 7 weeks and sold out his first arena tour and 10 minutes.