Summer internship season is in full swing, and for teen apparel retailer Aéropostale, that means the return of its serialized content project, "Intern Diaries." The series first launched in 2025, and this year the brand has elevated its production quality, turning the second season into a social-native mini-series starring teen creator Déjà Clark.

"We really wanted this to stand apart from more commercial content, and frankly, even from some of the other social content we produce," said Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, Aéropostale's parent company.

This year, Aéropostale partnered with Authentic Studios, part of Authentic Brands Group, and Emmy Award-winning director Eve Van Dyke. The new season of "Intern Diaries" drops every Thursday on the brand's YouTube and social channels, offering a comedic look at the behind-the-scenes reality of a fashion brand content creator and intern.

The first two episodes of this season have garnered 3.5 million views across social platforms, showcasing the influence of creators like Clark, who has 6.2 million followers on TikTok. Each episode runs about 3 to 4 minutes, aligning in length (though not in style) with the recent rise of short-form drama trends.

"We view YouTube as a core channel, but really, it's about following where the fans are, and the majority of views happen on TikTok because that's where Clark's largest audience is," Thalberg said of the media strategy. "The engagement is very deep. It's minutes-long viewing; people stay, watch, and share with friends."

Aéropostale is also iterating on a successful collection launch strategy that originated with creator Demetra Dias from the previous season of "Intern Diaries." Last year, Dias's collaboration line drove a surge in app downloads, propelling the brand's app into the top five on the App Store. Clark's 2026 collaboration line includes 71 items with entry prices at $19.95 and was unveiled in Thursday's episode of "Intern Diaries." The collection will be available exclusively on the brand's app from July 16-17, followed by a full rollout online and in stores on July 18.

"Based on the success of Demetra's line last year, we're highly optimistic about repeating that performance," Thalberg said. "After the collection launches, we'll also do more traditional marketing pushes."

Go to the mall

Aéropostale's latest collection and content initiatives arrive as the retailer has achieved a 30% year-over-year increase in customers (according to data obtained by Marketing Dive). The mall-based retailer's growth comes as Gen Alpha and Gen Z are helping drive a mall resurgence due to their interest in in-person shopping experiences. To tap into this interest, Aéropostale created a brand platform called "Next Stop."

"We see parents and kids shopping together... that's very typical among Gen Alpha and Gen Z," Thalberg said. "Young people have so many occasions in their lives, and they want to be prepared for them. 'Next Stop' could be after school, heading to a sporting event, or just having a slumber party with friends."

Amid persistent inflation dampening consumer confidence, Aéropostale is also working to streamline the shopping process at Catalyst Brands' stores. Last month, JCPenney and Aéropostale integrated their loyalty rewards programs into a joint initiative.

"There's really great affinity between the two audiences," Thalberg said of the program, which has already attracted about 250,000 sign-ups in just a few weeks. "We're already starting to see cross-store shopping behavior happen."

Although the loyalty program and content series are separate initiatives, both indicate that Catalyst Brands is focused on turning consumer insights into shopping behavior.

"We're rewarding consumers in different ways, whether it's through content experiences or now through shopping experiences that give back to you," Thalberg said.