Sweeney Continues Her Partnership with HeyDude
Sydney Sweeney has been the face of HeyDude since late 2024. She first partnered with the brand last summer to introduce a younger generation to the label, just a few years after HeyDude was acquired by comfy-footwear giant Crocs. Since then, she has appeared in multiple video and print campaigns across the company’s platforms.
This campaign marks her first major fashion collaboration since the star’s controversial American Eagle denim ad. While AE initially reported a 40% rise in stock following the release of her risqué ad, praising it for generating “unprecedented new customer acquisition in just six weeks,” the campaign soon sparked debate over its messaging.
Sweeney’s AE Campaign Sparks Controversy
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign made headlines for its tagline, which played on the words “genes” and “jeans.” The ad read, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” with “genes” crossed out and replaced by “jeans,” prompting accusations of racial coding.
Just yesterday, Katie Couric spoofed the campaign in a colon cancer screening PSA, posing on a hospital bed in a medical gown and denim jacket styled like Sweeney’s largest billboard, opening with, “Speaking of genes …”
Sweeney has declined to answer any AE-related questions publicly and is currently promoting her new biopic, Christy, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival a few weeks ago.
