Brieane Olson knows how to throw a book launch party.
The chief executive officer of Pacsun brought together around 150 of her friends, colleagues and partners for an evening of cocktails, dinner, conversation and a private tour of the Costume Art exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Thursday night. Olson was celebrating the official launch of her first book, “Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun.“
The book, which was officially released May 12, traces how Olson, who joined the retailer in 2007 and was elevated to the top post in 2023, transformed the company by embracing its Gen Z consumer base. Her strategy is centered around building what she describes as a “purpose-driven” company at the intersection of fashion, music, art and sport — all categories important to today’s youth.
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One of the key partners in the retailer’s transformational journey has been the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although the two at first glance might appear to be strange bedfellows, their five-year partnership has proven to be a success for both.
Olson said that the capsule collections the two have created have grown to be one of the top performers in the teen space. “Young people do care about the arts,” she said. And the collections also help the Met reach a new audience and age demographic, said Josh Romm, head of global licensing and partnerships for the museum.
In addition to the Met, the evening served to showcase Pacsun’s relationship with other partners. In a program during the seated dinner, Elyse Cohen, president of Rare Impact Fund and chief impact officer at Rare Beauty, spoke on the importance of creating safe spaces for young people to be themselves, and Russell Wallach, global president of Live Nation Entertainment, said the collections his company built with Pacsun for the Governors Ball have grown beyond strictly festival wear into a “global experience.” Michelle Hanabusa, founder and creative director of Uprisers, a female and AAPI-founded streetwear brand, told attendees that the “Hate is a Virus” T-shirt it created in response to the violence against Asians during the pandemic has raised over $1 million for the Asian community since its launch in 2020. That saying is among the pieces available at Pacsun, which also sells the viral T-shirt.
Before guests enjoyed their halibut or filet mignon, Olson reiterated the messaging she writes about in the book in her remarks. “Celebrating ‘Co-Created’ at The Met created an opportunity to discuss the principles of co-creation in a setting that reflects one of our long-standing collaborative relationships,” she said. “This work has always been grounded in collaboration, across teams, partners, and the communities we serve, and the book is a reflection of that process. The evening brought together many of the voices that have helped shape Pacsun’s evolution, with a shared focus on creativity, cultural connection, and building with purpose.”