Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler Launch American Eagle Collab: 'Our Younger Selves Would Be So Proud of Us' (Exclusive)
"It's so nice when Maddie and I get to collaborate on something because we don't do it very much [or] as often as we used to,” Kenzie tells PEOPLE
American Eagle
It’s no secret that sisters Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler love working together.
Now, the Dance Mom stars are taking their talents from the stage to the store with their new American Eagle collection, AE + Maddie & Kenzie.
The Fallout actress, 20, and “Anatomy” singer, 19, chatted with PEOPLE ahead of the release of their debut clothing collaboration — part of the brand’s back-to-school collection — and shared what it was like designing it together.
From an oversized leather jacket (a Ziegler staple) to a perfectly tailored vest (both sisters' favorite piece), the collection is all about the '90s. Maddie tells PEOPLE “the heart” of the denim-focused collaboration is the iconic decade, citing style icons like Drew Barrymore, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss as their inspiration.
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“We were really inspired by the '90s silhouettes and that essence of a model off duty,” Maddie tells PEOPLE of their inspiration that translated into versatility without sacrificing style. “Every piece you can wear to dinner or you can wear it during the day.”
The AE collaboration marks the sisters’ official farewell to skintight jeans — which Maddie says they “lived by” before they “hit puberty” — and a transition into looser-fitting, more relaxed denim. “We've really honed in on what is flattering for our body and what makes us the most comfortable,” she adds.
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The collection also includes a lacy slip dress, midi skirt, racerback mini dress, wide-leg pants and hoodie tank top, as well as layering staples (cropped tank tops and long-sleeve T-shirts) in a variety of colors. Every item pairs perfectly with the collection’s accessories: a simple black shoulder bag and the perfect pair of ‘90s-inspired sunglasses.
From the original AE + Maddie & Kenzie mood board to the more “hands-on” design work, the sisters worked together on everything — and they loved every second of it.
“It's so nice when Maddie and I get to collaborate on something because we don't do it very much [or] as often as we used to,” Kenzie tells PEOPLE.
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The dancer-turned-singer also says that her younger, skinny jeans-obsessed self — who “always wanted to dress super cool” — would love the clothes she and Maddie designed, and “would definitely want to wear” them.
“I think our younger selves would be so proud of us,” Maddie adds. “And be like, ‘Wow, thank goodness that we evolved.’”
According to the sibling duo, their personal styles are far more similar than when they were kids (“Maddie was super, super girly and I was the complete opposite,” Kenzie says), so when it came to curating the collection together, everything went off without a hitch.
“Even though we have slightly different takes on style, essentially [we like] the same silhouette, so it was so easy,” Maddie tells PEOPLE. “We literally agreed on every single thing, and it was such a blast.”
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According to Maddie, their visions for the collection were completely aligned and, when asked if they clashed at all, she dismisses the notion immediately. “Not once,” she says.
If the AE collaboration hit shelves a few years earlier, however, Kenzie says it would have been a different story. “I feel like if we created this collection when we were younger, we definitely would've butt heads,” she admits, adding that it is “just because we're sisters.”
In fact, according to Maddie, the pair really only fights about one thing: “stealing each other's clothes.”
Though the sisters no longer live under the same roof, Kenzie says that when they did, they "were sneaking into each other's rooms" when they were supposed to be sleeping!
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Related: Maddie Ziegler Celebrates Sister Mackenzie's 18th Birthday: 'My Best Friend for Life'
Now, the musician has adopted a much more complex clothes-borrowing strategy, according to Maddie.
“You have a great tactic,” she tells Kenzie. “She'll come over [in sweats] and she's like, ‘I forgot I have this dinner tonight, and I don't have any clothes.’ … And then I pick out a whole outfit for her in my closet and I do her hair and makeup.”
Kenzie comes to her own defense, claiming that her motivations are more pure than meets the eye.
“Yeah, but I also do that because you're so, so good at hair and makeup, so I feel like I'm going to look like my best self when you get me ready,” she says, adding that she is “very good” at bringing Maddie’s clothes back — “and washing them and folding them” — so no harm, no foul.
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When it comes to raiding the sisters’ closets, there is one more culprit they named — their mom, Melissa Gisoni. According to Kenzie, the 55-year-old Dance Moms alum “definitely wants to dress like us.”
“She's mentally 25, as she would say, so when the collection comes out, I definitely think she will be wearing some of the pieces,” Kenzie says, adding that she'll look “so cute” in the AE clothes.
“It's so funny because that's exactly what I was just about to say,” Maddie adds. “She wants to dress like us, so I know she's going to be wearing literally every piece of the collection every day.”
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