Retail radicals think in radically different ways about the business of retail and is more about mindset than method. There is often a subtlety to radical thinking, and the radical is just beneath the surface. Such is the case of Brieane Olson, CEO of Pacsun.
Pacsun’s Rise and Fall
At first glance, Pacsun is just another mall-based, youth-focused fashion retailer. Founded in 1980 as Pacific Sunwear of California – better known as Pacsun – its original mission was to outfit teens from coast to coast in California surf and skate style. It successfully rode that wave, going public in 1993 and reaching some 1,300 stores.
But as fashion trends shifted and mall traffic declined, the wave eventually fizzled out, leaving Pacsun to file for bankruptcy in 2016 with fewer than half the stores at its zenith. The company was promptly acquired by Golden Gate Capital, which aimed to steer it back on course. Since then, Pacsun has downsized to around 300 stores and shifted its focus toward streetwear and casual lifestyle offerings.
Olson understands that retail is first and foremost a people, not a product, business, a principle she lives by to guide Pacsun and her team into the future: “At Pacsun, innovation is a mindset and a strong part of our culture. We empower our teams to experiment, take risks, and bring forward ideas that push us into new territory. We listen closely to our community of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers and see them as co-creators.”
Catching the Next Wave
All the while, Olson was working in the Pacsun trenches, having joined the company in 2007 as women’s design director, after experience with J. Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as in the luxury fashion sphere with Valentino and Hollywould.
At Pacsun, she found her footing and began a steady climb up the corporate ladder, becoming president in 2021, then transitioning to CEO in April 2023. Over the years, she successfully navigated the highs and lows of Pacsun’s evolution, cultivating a radical retail mindset.
Pacsun is back in growth mode, opening ten new stores this year and 25+ in 2026. It has successfully navigated the minefield when a fashion brand’s target market transitions from one generation to another. Now it is firmly established with Gen Z and leaning into Gen Alpha. It is utilizing all the tools in the technology playbook that these two digitally-native generations expect, including AI, TikTok and social commerce.
But most remarkable – and radical – is how Olson has developed the habit of listening – really listening – to Pacsun’s current and prospective customers and has institutionalized the process to guide decision-making, from the product level to the boardroom. She says she is most proud of “the trust Pacsun has with the next generation. That trust doesn’t come lightly. It’s earned by showing up authentically, listening, and taking risks alongside them. Launching initiatives like our Youth Advisory Council and Youth Report by Pacsun reaffirmed that we’re talking about youth culture and we’re building it in collaboration with young people themselves. Seeing our teams, our creators, and our consumers align around purpose is incredibly rewarding.”
The Cultural Conversation
Pacsun’s evolution under Olson’s leadership has included collaborations with powerful influencers like Kendall and Kylie Jenner, visionary designers such as Willy Chavarria and Reese Cooper, and iconic brands, including Wrangler, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Major League Baseball, and Ford.
More recently, the brand has embraced co-creation through the Pacsun Collective—a group of “ringers,” including content creators, photographers, stylists, designers, musicians, and artists, recruited to join Pacsun’s internal team to launch collections described as “the intersection of culture, sports, music, art, and fashion.”
And most recently, it has established a Youth Advisory Council, made up of Gen Z and Gen Alpha tastemasters, including Anna Sitar, Jabari and Malik Williams, Life.w.Bex, Valera Djordjevic, Teala Dunn and Anais and Miabelle Lee, Shea Durazzo, Sienna Lewis, Mark Aoki and Melody Hurd, to further guide the company to keep in step with the rapidly changing needs and desires of Pacsun’s next generation customers.
Pacsun released “The Youth Report by Pacsun,” based on a survey of 6,000 respondents aged 11 to 24 years conducted by GlobalData, that, in a radical commitment to transparency and community building, the company is sharing with other retail brands and cultural stakeholders Olson described her role as stewarding the next generation of consumers not just selling to them; that’s radical thinking not typical leadership hubris.
“Pacsun has always centered young people in everything we do, and that means listening deeply to Gen Z and Gen Alpha and sharing what we learn along the way, too,” she explained. “Pacsun has adopted a stewardship role towards young people – this is why we designed The Youth Report as an open resource to provide meaningful takeaways that help others engage, uplift, and celebrate these generations and honor their voices.”
People Before Product
Olson understands that retail is first and foremost a people, not a product, business, a principle she lives by to guide Pacsun and her team into the future: “At Pacsun, innovation is a mindset and a strong part of our culture. We empower our teams to experiment, take risks, and bring forward ideas that push us into new territory, whether that’s social commerce, AI in retail, or creator-led collaborations,” she said.. “We listen closely to our community of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers and see them as co-creators. That feedback loop, between our associates, our creators, and our customers, keeps us nimble, curious, and consistently ahead of cultural shifts,” she adds, ““To formalize this, we host quarterly Think Tank session where employees at every level can pitch new ideas, we look to our Youth Advisory Council for real-time consumer insights, and we work with our Pacsun Collective to co-develop campaigns and products. Together, these programs embed innovation into the fabric of Pacsun and help build the brand alongside our community.”
Iconoclastic Leadership
Olson is an innovator and risk-taker. She says, “Being radical is about refusing to accept the ‘way it’s always been done.’ Retail is an industry in constant transformation, and young people expect brands to take stances across product, values and purpose. “For Pacsun, being radical means embracing disruption as an opportunity, from leaning into social commerce and live shopping, to collaborating with creators as designers, to reimagining our stores as cultural hubs, to integrating AI into how we serve our customers. “It’s about reimagining what’s possible in retail and never losing sight of the responsibility that comes with cultural relevance.”
Matthew Cyr, Founder & CEO, Crave Retail, says, “As someone who grew up with PacSun, I’ve seen the brand go from a mall staple to a modern movement. Brieane Olson didn’t just rebuild it—she re-energized it. Her leadership reminds us that retail at its best listens to culture, moves with it, and adds something back. That’s the mark of a retail radical.”
Radical thinking helps play a role in shaping a better future for retail. Olson explains, “I see the future of retail as borderless, both digitally and physically. The lines between content, community, and commerce are disappearing. Stores are becoming experience centers where culture, product, and purpose meet. “Shopping is increasingly social and creator-driven, with youth leading the way in how brands show up, especially online and on social platforms. For Pacsun, it means building an ecosystem where young people shop with us and create with us.”
A Radical Mindset
Brieane Olson’s leadership at Pacsun reveals that being radical in retail isn’t about rebellion—it’s about reimagining the future of retail with purpose, agility, and empathy:
- Challenging convention: Question legacy practices and reimagine what retail can be – not just what it has been.
- Listening deeply: Build systems that institutionalize listening to your customers, creators, and employees at every level.
- Co-creating with community: Invite your audience to help shape your brand – from product design to cultural direction.
- Embracing disruption: View technological and generational shifts as opportunities, not threats.
- Leading with purpose: Align your brand with values that resonate with your audience and reflect their lived experiences.
- Building trust through transparency: Share insights, data, and decisions openly to foster loyalty and cultural credibility.
- Designing for experience: Reimagine stores and digital platforms as immersive hubs where commerce meets culture.
- Empowering experimentation: Encourage risk-taking and idea-sharing across all levels of your organization.
- Stewarding the future: See your role not just as a seller, but as a guide for the next generation of consumers and creators.
Her advice to the next generation of retail leaders? “Stay curious, stay resilient, and don’t be afraid to take risks. Retail is one of the most dynamic industries. It will challenge you daily, but it will also give you a front-row seat to cultural change. Your fresh perspective is your advantage. Speak up, listen closely to your peers and customers, and understand that retail today is about so much more than selling clothes. Retail is about storytelling, creating experiences, building community, leading with purpose, and much more.
In a retail landscape of constant reinvention, Olson is a poster child for the radical mindset that listens not just hears, fearlessly embraces the inevitable ups and downs, and leads with purpose to overcome obstacles and rise to the challenges.
About the Retail Radicals
The 2025 Crave Retail Radicals Awards include Le Bon Marché, Build-A-Bear Workshops, PacSun, Skims and Sprouts. For the past seven years, we have identified radical thinkers and doers (innovators and entrepreneurial leaders) driving major transformations within their respective retail brands. In a marketplace that is defined by transactions and risk-avoidance, these five retailers have bucked the trend and are helping to transform the industry by rewriting the rules of retail by being bold and brave. Each is a role model for keeping retail relevant and vibrant, and exceeding expectations experientially and financially.
