The mothers of Yara Shahidi, Aly Raisman and Iskra Lawrence pose for new fashion campaign

Who do role models consider their role models?

For aerie’s role models, who include actress Yara Shahidi, gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman, and curvy model and body activist Iskra Lawrence, the answer is simple: their mothers.

“We decided to include mothers in the campaign because when we asked our role models who inspires them, their mothers was their number one answer,” said Jen Foyle, aerie global brand president. “And aerie is designed to be worn by any age.”

Shahidi was joined by Keri Shahidi, Raisman posed with her mother, Lynn Raisman and sister Chloe Raisman, and Lawrence took pictures with Wilma Lawrence wearing aerie’s swimwear.

According to Foyle, aerie, which has pushed self-love and empowerment with a no-retouching policy on imagery, these campaigns have had a positive effect on the bottom line. Aerie is up double digits over the last year and saw a large spark within the 30 days of launching the Aerie Real Role Model campaign. The innerwear brand is set to open a store in New York’s SoHo in mid-June.

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