From the mall to the Met
Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Great Hall, a violinist played gently in the background. The famous columns were uplit orange, and cocktail tables were covered with magenta peonies for the launch of Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson’s new book, “Co Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun.”
I’ll be the first to admit that this artsy scene didn’t feel like it matched the Pacsun I grew up on with its casual coastal offerings. But the Pacsun of yesteryear is a lot different from what the brand is doing today, Olson said Thursday night to hundreds of dinner guests.
Today, the legacy millennial brand is speaking directly to Gen Z in hopes to “inspire the next generation and build community to create a better world at the intersection of sport, music, art, and passion,” the CEO said.
It’s not an easy feat, and Olson knows it. “When we share this with people, often, it’s met with a lot of resistance because people say that’s a really lofty goal,” she added.
Still, the strategy that Olson spoke about, which is outlined in “Co Created,” isn’t a theory. Pacsun has been practicing it for years — with partnerships with Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, Formula 1, and even Roc Nation.
And it appears to be paying off. Pacsun is closing in on $1 billion in annual sales in 2025, with revenue growing about 10% each year for the past two years. The company is also in expansion mode, opening new stores across the US and preparing to launch its first international location in Dubai next year.
In a space where many brands are still relying on influencers to speak directly to consumers, it stood out to me that Olson instead spoke largely about community, and how she’s relying on Gen Z consumers “to build the next version of Pacsun with us.”
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