Abercrombie’s earnings, Kelce’s American Eagle role and eBay's branded resale — plus, back-to-school trends with After School's Casey Lewis

The Glossy Podcast – Episode Summary

Date: August 29, 2025
Host: Danny Parisi (A), Senior Fashion Reporter
Co-host: Zofia Zviglinska (B), International Reporter
Special Guest: Casey Lewis (E), Author of "After School" Substack
Main Theme:
A multifaceted look at the intersection of fashion, pop culture, and technology, focusing on the week’s major industry news—American Eagle’s Travis Kelce campaign, Abercrombie’s NFL partnership and earnings, Marks & Spencer’s eBay resale debut—and a deep dive into back-to-school teen fashion trends, featuring expert insights and first-hand Gen Z perspectives.

Episode Overview

This week’s episode is split into two main halves: fashion business news and teen-centric back-to-school trends. The team explores the increasing convergence of sports and fashion, how celebrity partnerships are timed for maximum impact, the nuanced growth of established brands, and the way teens are shaping resale and retail landscapes alike. The second half features a detailed interview with trend forecaster Casey Lewis plus listener call-ins about what teens are actually wearing and buying for the school year.

1. Key Discussion Points and Insights

A. Celebrity-Driven Campaigns and Sports/Fashion Crossovers

Travis Kelce x American Eagle
- Travis Kelce (NFL star) recently became American Eagle's ambassador in collaboration with his brand, True Colors. The campaign launch was perfectly timed to his headline-making engagement to Taylor Swift.
- Both Parisi and Zviglinska speculate about the coordination and media strategy behind celebrity personal events aligning with brand deals.
  - “It’s like a weird mixing of personal and professional. But very good timing for American Eagle.” – Danny (02:47)
- Sydney Sweeney’s previous American Eagle campaign stirred controversy; this new campaign may be a way to shift focus after that.
- Kelce’s role is viewed as part of a growing trend of athletes (like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James) moving into fashion creative roles.
  - “I’m wondering if that’s his next stage... setting himself up for his next career as a kind of side creative director.” – Zofia (06:13)
Abercrombie & NFL Partnership
- Abercrombie announced it is now the NFL’s first official fashion partner, designing for players, apparel lines, and game-day activations.
- Both hosts discuss whether sports/fashion collabs have lasting power or risk burning out, noting differences between "merch" and true fashion.
  - “There’s been so much interest... when there’s a gold rush, there’s a reaction.” – Danny (10:10)
- The deal is logistically complex; partnering with the NFL means working with many teams, each with its own culture.
- Abercrombie’s business update: while Abercrombie itself is seeing smaller gains, sub-brand Hollister is driving most group growth with Y2K nostalgic and collegiate-themed drops.
Fashion’s Engagement with Sports Culture
- Sports & fashion crossovers (especially via tennis, basketball, soccer) feel more organic than American football, which lacks innate fashion cachet.
  - “I do feel like the NFL ... is a little bit behind on fashion compared to, like, the NBA or other sports.” – Danny (15:19)
- International perspectives differ—soccer/football in Europe has a more established fashion tie, tied to “90s culture of outfits” (16:51).

B. Brand-Led Resale Expansion & eBay’s Fashion Push

Marks & Spencer x eBay
- UK heritage brand Marks & Spencer has officially launched a resale storefront on eBay, expanding its in-store recycling efforts to include new categories such as footwear.
- The program, via Reskinned, incentivizes customers with vouchers for trade-ins and highlights the UK's ingrained circular fashion culture.
  - “Resale is quite a natural progression for M&S compared to what they've been doing.” – Zofia (18:56)
- eBay is boosting fashion credentials by linking up with designers for “Endless Runway” at NYFW and providing authenticated resale for luxury brands.
Listener Trends and Observations
- Teens are heavily involved in the resale economy, especially via Depop, often valuing unique vintage or quality finds over new.
  - “The resale component is massive... Depop is such a community.” – Zofia (27:25)

C. Back-to-School Trends: From TikTok Hauls to Comfort-Driven Denim

Interview with Casey Lewis (After School Newsletter)
- Back-to-school shopping is bigger than expected, with high-ticket items (denim, shoes, backpacks) remaining must-haves, defying economic anxieties.
  - “Hauls seemed bigger than ever, actually, so that kind of defied expectations.” – Casey (30:29)
- The performance of shopping—especially the TikTok “haul” video—is now central to the experience, with some teens staging bags for the sake of content.
  - “This was the first year... I actually saw girls put items into bags that they had ordered online for the sake of the haul.” – Casey (31:29)
- Comfort is key: baggy, low-slung jeans are back; personalization is sought after via DIY-esque embellishments.
- Athleisure’s 20-year era is waning: leggings are “out,” replaced by baggy jeans, flare pants, and uncuffed sweats.
  - “There are also more experiments with more like, Flair Y2K jeans... now there’s more variation.” – Casey (36:43–37:32)
- Rapid cycling of sneaker trends: from Air Force 1s to Sambas to Adidas Campus, signaling micro-shifts and status awareness.
- Resale and peer-to-peer shopping are integral, especially for unique/vintage items that complete the “uniform.”
- Brands like Hollister and American Eagle are making comebacks, leveraging nostalgia and price-conscious collections.

2. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

Early Segment: News & Analysis

“Did he tell them, like, hey by the way, I’m gonna propose… it’s like a weird mixing of personal and professional.” – Danny (02:47)
“I highly doubt this American Eagle campaign was not planned to go live at this time.” – Zofia (03:57)
“Abercrombie’s actually not the brand driving most of the growth for the group. It’s Hollister...” – Zofia (12:10)
“I do feel like the NFL... is a little bit behind on fashion compared to the NBA or other sports.” – Danny (15:19)
“I've always seen that there's a culture around the NFL, but it's not a fashion culture.” – Zofia (16:51)
“eBay... is an interesting one because they've been pushing a lot into fashion... The official crossover between fashion brands and resale platforms.” – Danny (18:56)

Listener Call-Ins: Teen Trends

“They love the barrel fit. They also love wearing black. It's almost as if you took the 90s and made it a little more emo-coded... the kids love oversized clothes.” – Harley (22:44)
“They are wearing a lot of feminine skirts, straight cut or boot cut jeans with Mary Jane flip flops... her friends tend toward the cowboy type boots. Mostly the finds... are from Depop, which seems to be its own social media.” – Jennifer (25:11)
“Depop is such a community and it has such a community feel... its own little world.” – Zofia (27:25)

Interview with Casey Lewis: Back-to-School Culture

“Hauls seemed bigger than ever, actually, so that kind of defied expectations... they're buying a lot of jeans, which are not cheap.” – Casey (30:29)
“I've been doing this haul deep dive... and it really struck me the first time I did it how much emphasis there was on the shopping bag.” – Casey (31:29)
“Comfort is key... when you’re wearing a pair of jeans that’s three sizes too big... you're not getting that discomfort.” – Casey (34:45)
“As jeans have gone lower, the tops are getting longer. So people are less interested in crop tops and more interested in... a t-shirt that hits the hips.” – Casey (53:14)
“Depop feels very... blog-esque... there's a lot more room for self-expression... it is top of mind for teens when they're trying to track down something.” – Casey (54:49–55:56)
“Overall I felt like, okay, these are optimistic kids who feel excited about the prospect of going back to school... I did not get any sense of... ennui.” – Casey (57:16–58:26)

3. Key Segment Timestamps

00:52–02:47 – Episode overview, celebrity brand deals, American Eagle x Travis Kelce
03:57–07:26 – Timing of Kelce’s engagement and branding, sports/fashion crossovers
09:06–14:02 – Abercrombie’s NFL partnership, durability of sports-fashion trends, complexity of working with leagues
15:19–17:38 – NFL vs. NBA/soccer fashion influence, transatlantic views on sports style
18:56–22:17 – Marks & Spencer’s eBay store, UK circular fashion, eBay’s NYFW “Endless Runway”
22:44–28:26 – Listener call-ins: what teens are wearing, Depop as social resale
29:35–59:48 – Interview with Casey Lewis: back-to-school trends, social media hauls, denim, athleisure, sneaker cycles, Gen Z brand loyalty and optimism

4. Insights for Listeners

The interaction of celebrity news and marketing timelines is more calculated—and effective—than ever.
Sports-fashion collaborations are booming, but questions remain about their staying power and authenticity, particularly in US football.
Resale, especially brand-led and peer-to-peer, is fully integrated into Gen Z’s shopping psyche; platforms like eBay and Depop are innovating social and resale commerce.
New back-to-school rituals are heavily shaped by social media, with performance (unboxing/haul videos) now as important as the purchases themselves.
Comfort, choice, and the subtle individuality of classic categories (denim, sneakers, sweats) define current youth style—and legacy brands are returning by tapping into nostalgia and new cycles.
Despite concerns about youth malaise, there is genuine optimism and excitement in Gen Z fashion culture today.

This episode captures fashion’s current crossroads: celebrity strategy, Gen Z’s influence, retail’s circular ambitions, and a boom in both comfort and creativity.