Tate McRae has become the opening face of Calvin Klein's Fall 2026 'Feel the Fit' denim campaign, joining a growing list of celebrities being tapped by major fashion brands to put jeans back at the centre of pop culture. The campaign launched globally on 25 August 2026, with the 23-year-old 'Greedy' singer dancing in Calvin Klein jeans and underwear in a movement focused film.
The rollout immediately drew comparisons with Sydney Sweeney's headline making 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' campaign for American Eagle. But McRae is hardly alone in selling denim through star power, with Hailey Bieber, Cardi B and global girl group KATSEYE all fronting major jeans campaigns over the past year.
Tate McRae Makes Denim Move
Directed and photographed by Carlijn Jacobs, Calvin Klein's campaign puts McRae's background as a competitive dancer at the centre of the visuals. She appears in styles including the Low Rise Baggy Jean, High Rise Loose Jean and returning '90s Straight Jean, moving to Deee-Lite's 'Groove Is in the Heart' through choreography created by Sergio Reis. The campaign will continue in several chapters, with Calvin Klein expected to reveal additional talent over the coming weeks.
For McRae, whose 2025 album So Close to What became her first Billboard 200 No.1, the concept combines the two sides of her public image: pop star and dancer. 'I've always been a fan of Calvin Klein jeans. Every style has its own personality, but they all give you that same undeniable confidence,' she said of the campaign. Calvin Klein is also encouraging creators to recreate its choreography on social media, extending the advertising push beyond traditional campaign photography.
Sydney Sweeney Comparisons Come Quickly
McRae's campaign arrived just over a year after American Eagle turned Sweeney into the face of one of the most discussed denim adverts in recent memory. Launched in July 2025, 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' played on the similarity between 'jeans' and 'genes', with some critics questioning imagery that referenced inherited traits alongside the blonde haired, blue eyed Euphoria actress. American Eagle later defended the campaign, saying it 'is and always was about the jeans'.
Tate McRae in a Calvin Klein campaign
— RT (@RT_com) August 26, 2026
Does she have SYDNEY SWEENEY’S genes? pic.twitter.com/dl01xDOaVh
The visual similarities between McRae and Sweeney were enough to spark comparisons once Calvin Klein's campaign landed online, although the concepts are notably different. Calvin Klein builds its advert around dance, movement and fit, while American Eagle made wordplay central to Sweeney's campaign. The conversation also arrives as denim brands increasingly compete for attention through celebrities whose audiences extend far beyond fashion.
Everyone From KATSEYE to Cardi B Is Selling Jeans
The comparisons between celebrity denim campaigns did not start with McRae. When KATSEYE fronted Gap's viral 'Better in Denim' campaign in 2025, one TikTok showing the group's Gap posters directly opposite Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign in a shopping centre attracted more than 2.1 million likes.
@spendmoneywithjuli Katseye x Gap & Sydney Sweeney x AE ads right across eachother lol #katseye #gap #sydneysweeney #americaneagle ♬ Original Sound - Unknown
Gap went even further in July 2026 by giving Rhode founder and model Hailey Bieber her own limited edition denim capsule, 'The Hailey Jean'. Inspired by vintage Gap styles Bieber already wore, the collaboration reworked the Extra Baggy and '90s Low Rise Loose fits with custom washes and details referencing her 1996 birth year. 'Gap has been a part of my wardrobe since I was a kid, so this came together very organically,' Bieber said.
Cardi B joined the denim push weeks later, fronting Old Navy's Fall 2026 campaign alongside Paloma Elsesser, Quenlin Blackwell, Brooks Nader, Haley Baylee and Wisdom Kaye. The Grammy winning rapper described the partnership as a 'full circle moment', recalling that she grew up shopping at the retailer with her family. Old Navy positioned the campaign around accessible denim across different body types and price points.
McRae's Calvin Klein campaign therefore lands in a crowded celebrity denim landscape rather than an isolated rivalry with Sweeney.
KATSEYE brought choreography, Bieber turned her personal jeans style into a product, Cardi B brought her personality to mass market denim and Sweeney generated debate through provocative wordplay.
Calvin Klein's bet is that McRae's dancing can create its own version of that attention, with the singer now becoming the latest celebrity tasked with making a pair of jeans feel like a pop culture event.
