Pacsun Exec Talks NFT Strategy, Genderless Design at NYC Launch Party – Sourcing Journal

Pacsun celebrated the launch of its back-to-school #MyDenimStory collection on Tuesday with a “VIP launch party” at its New York City flagship starring Gen Z pop star Grace VanderWaal.

As with similar events Pacsun has hosted with its guest artist, A$AP Rocky, the evening included a live set from the guest of honor. The 2016 “America’s Got Talent” winner followed up her performance with an intimate question-and-answer session where she discussed her personal evolution through style and music.

“Music is my primary form of self-expression, but style is another way I’ve always shown my creativity,” said the 18-year-old singer. “Denim is super personal to me… my style is always evolving – but jeans are the one thing I always come back to to feel comfortable wherever I am.”

Music has played “a critical role” in Pacsun’s lifestyle positioning over the past 10 years, Pacsun President Brie Olson told Sourcing Journal. Before Kanye West, now Ye, teamed up with Adidas and later Gap, Pacsun teamed up with the “Yeezus” artist on a limited 10-piece collection of tour merchandise. This release led to a “working partnership” with the late Off-White founder Virgil Abloh.

“It informs culture and Pacsun considers our consumers the cultural pioneers of the future, so music certainly plays a critical role,” Olson said.

While events like Tuesday’s will continue to be a “critical part” of Pacsun’s offerings, the retailer has no plans to host any special music series, Olson said. “We are very excited about possibilities for performances in the metaverse and virtual performances, for example on our Roblox platform,” she added.

Although VanderWaal’s performance was not broadcast in the metaverse – Pacsun live-streamed it on social media – the dealer took the opportunity to integrate another part of its Web3 strategy, NFTs, with a seven-day auction of three new NFTs starting on Tuesday. One of the symbols, the Denim Bear NFT, was recreated as a large sculpture at this week’s event. Owners of the three tokens will receive “coveted” merchandise, free shipping on all orders, early access to select brand launches and the “chance” to win a free denim wardrobe.

Bidding on the Pacsun Denim Bar starts at 0.111 ETH, or $192. The other two tokens, represented by GIFo0- of women’s and men’s denim styles, are priced at 0.221 ETH, or $382, and 0.218 ETH, or $377, respectively. Like the majority of Pacsun’s NFTs, the three new tokens have yet to receive an opening bid.

However, Olson remains bullish on Pacsun’s NFT journey. In the “very beginning,” she said, the retailer’s strategy was to explore “with our consumers to see how they would react, to see what resonated with the audience.”

“I try to encourage our team to constantly be curious and push the boundaries and explore with the consumer,” Olson said. “So, if something doesn’t work, then rethink it, and maybe there’s a layer of loyalty, or maybe NFT also has a physical component to it.”

Connecting virtual and physical items is something Pacsun’s consumers are “very excited about,” she added, noting the success of an NFT the company sold at ComplexLand in May that came with a unique pair of sneakers. “We were actually one of the only brands selling our NFT in that gallery,” she said.

“We’ve also learned something in terms of price elasticity and how much the consumer is willing to pay, and also, to be very transparent, our best-selling NFTs to date have actually had 100 percent charitable donations,” Olson said. “So another signal from our consumer that they care about philanthropically giving back to the community.”

Earlier this month, Pacsun relaunched its denim selection “from the ground up,” Olson said. The #MyDenimStory collection features more than 200 new denim styles with a particular focus on genderless designs, ’90s nostalgia and workwear-inspired silhouettes.

“In the last three to five years, we’ve really seen a significant shift in generational behavior around gender,” Olson said. “Understanding the fluidity and understanding how Gen Z perceives gender truly without boundaries has been a very important part of our design process.”

Drawing on the retailer’s lessons learned from the launch of its first gender-neutral line, the Color Range, the design team went into this season “with a very open mind about gender fluidity,” Olson said. One of the most significant changes in the past two years has been “an opening of the bone shape,” she noted.

“There are a lot of new leg shapes happening and we’re seeing a lot of crossover shopping,” she continued. “Legs are getting wider, a lot poser, and we’re even seeing consumers in our communities size up significantly to achieve that truly oversized look. And so the shift in proportions has been something the design team has focused on in the redesign of the denim line.”

To ensure the genderless selection truly fits all bodies, Olson said the design team performs the fit on a variety of fit models, including across body types and gender. When Pacsun shot its denim campaign, the retailer let creators, models and influencers choose the denim they wanted to wear “without any gender barriers,” she added. Online, genderless pieces are shown on male and female models.

Pacsun’s new approach to gender has prompted the retailer to rethink its store layouts as well. While 10 years ago the retailer clearly separated its men’s and women’s styles, today Pacsun has removed the barriers and divisions within its brick-and-mortar locations, with genderless styles typically found in the center of the store. “Now we really welcome our consumers to shop in the way they choose,” Olson said.