A California lifestyle brand known for $165 sweatpants is facing fierce online backlash after an influencer posted video of a homeless man sleeping inside one of its stores.
Lizzy Benichou, an Instagram influencer who goes by @basedinmalibu, recently shared footage that appears to show the man dozing on a yellow chair inside an Aviator Nation location while shoppers browse nearby. The video appears to have been taken at the company’s Austin, Texas store, though Benichou noted similar issues at other locations.
“Aviator Nation you charge $200 for a pair of sweatpants yet when you go into one of your stores whether it be the one in Austin, Malibu or Venice you allow homeless people to sleep on the furniture,” Benichou raged on Instagram.
She claims that sales associates told her nothing could be done about the man “because he gets aggressive.”
Benichou, who has built a following documenting luxury lifestyle content, urged the company to take immediate action. She blasted the brand for what she described as a dangerous lack of safety protocols for both employees and customers spending premium prices.
“Nobody wants to spend hundreds of dollars on sweatpants while a potentially aggressive homeless man is sleeping on your furniture. Do you think anyone will sit on that chair after seeing this video?” She roared in her Instagram post.
The California-based brand, founded by Paige Mycoskie in 2006, has built its reputation on 1970s-inspired hoodies, matching sets and sweatpants with vintage-style distressing. The company operates stores across California, Texas, New York and several other states, with its rainbow-striped designs becoming a status symbol among coastal fashion crowds.
Aviator Nation did not respond to requests for comment on the incident.
The video ignited a firestorm across social media platforms, with users sharply divided over how the situation should have been handled.
“Literally not appropriate in any way, shape or form!! Can law enforcement not step in?? There are shelters, recovery centers or JAIL…private business should never have to ‘just deal with this,'” one user wrote in response to the video.
Another chimed in, “Why don’t they call police or security to have him removed? If they haven’t it’s because they don’t want to and don’t feel the need to. Not good at all.”
But the influencer’s outrage also drew fierce pushback from commenters who accused her of lacking compassion for someone experiencing homelessness.
“How about be kind. Maybe skip the sweat pants and offer to take him to get a shower and haircut,” one user fired back.
The debate highlights the growing tension between high-end retail environments and the homelessness crisis affecting major American cities, particularly in California and Texas where Aviator Nation maintains multiple locations.
In the viral moment that sparked the controversy, Benichou’s video shows the man reclined on a mellow yellow chair inside the store, apparently asleep as other customers move through the space. The footage captures the jarring contrast between the brand’s carefully curated bohemian-luxe aesthetic and the visible reality of urban poverty steps from the register.
The incident has put renewed scrutiny on how upscale retailers navigate security and compassion when confronted with homelessness inside their stores, particularly in cities where public encampments and street sleeping have become increasingly visible.
Aviator Nation’s price point has long been part of its brand identity, with sweatpants regularly retailing for $156 to $200 and hoodies commanding similar premiums. The company emphasizes handmade construction in Los Angeles and a “broken-in” vintage feel that justifies the cost to its customer base.
The brand continues to expand its retail footprint, with locations in fashionable enclaves from Malibu to Manhattan.