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July 24, 2024
Can PacSun and Pinterest Bank on a Retro Fashion Trend?
In the ever-evolving landscape of retail fashion, PacSun is taking a bold step with its latest fall campaign, “Better in Baggy,” which spotlights the resurgence of baggy denim and all oversized clothes. This campaign not only reflects current trends but also underscores PacSun’s commitment to celebrating individuality and self-expression through fashion.
According to Glossy, baggy oversized jeans accounted for about 8% of PacSun’s denim sales in 2023. This year, they have shot up to 80% of the company’s denim sales.
PacSun’s vice president of women’s merchandising and design, Addie Rintel, explained that the company has been “watching the meteoric rise of baggy denim with great intent,” and as a result, it decided to launch the “Better in Baggy” campaign.
In the announcement, Richard Cox, vice president of men’s merchandising and global partnerships at PacSun, said, “Denim is the cornerstone of the PacSun brand. The shift towards baggy and loose-fits shows a movement towards comfort and individuality in fashion. We’re not just launching a campaign, we’re creating styles and moments for our customers and connecting them to our brand in meaningful ways that they can relate to.”
Delving Into PacSun’s Fall Campaign
Rintel highlighted the fall campaign as a platform for creativity and self-expression. The collection features an array of novelty embellished denim styles, including bows, rhinestones, and patches, designed to empower customers during the back-to-school season.
The focus on baggy denim has been profound for PacSun. This trend mirrors a broader cultural shift toward relaxed fits and personalized style preferences among younger demographics.
Although it may be difficult to 100% accurately pinpoint the origins of baggy clothes and denim, many credit the 1990s as the birth of the baggy clothes era.
Furthermore, many are wondering when the baggy style began to see a resurgence, and some users on Reddit are tracing it back to just last year, while others say it’s been back for longer.
Innovative Partnerships and Interactive Experiences
To “bring the campaign to life,” per the announcement, PacSun has partnered with Pinterest for interactive store displays and dynamic marketing campaigns. This collaboration extends across events and social media, leveraging Pinterest’s platform to enhance customer engagement and generate buzz around the new collection.
Additionally, PacSun has curated exclusive events, such as an influencer gathering in Upstate New York and an interactive showcase at its Soho flagship store. These initiatives not only showcase the latest collection but also invite consumers to participate in creative activities, enriching the overall brand experience.
The PacSun Collective: Empowering Community Collaboration
Earlier this year, PacSun launched “The PacSun Collective,” an initiative inviting content creators, designers, and musicians to co-create future campaigns and merchandise. This collaborative approach began with the Spring/Summer 2024 campaign, integrating community voices into PacSun’s brand strategy.
Brie Olson, CEO of PacSun, underscored the Collective’s role in fostering a collaborative environment where diverse talents shape the brand’s direction. This inclusive strategy resonates with PacSun’s commitment to creativity and inclusivity, strengthening its bond with a dynamic community of customers.
Rintel told Glossy that in the fast-paced fashion industry “where trends change so rapidly,” abandoning current strategies to chase new trends may not always yield the best outcomes. She emphasized the challenge of distinguishing between fleeting fads and enduring trends, highlighting the risk of investing in trends that may quickly fade.
To navigate this complexity, PacSun has strengthened its collaboration with Pinterest, recognizing the platform’s resurgence in recent years. With Pinterest surpassing 500 million monthly active users, Rintel noted a significant uptick in engagement, particularly among Gen Z shoppers who are pivotal in driving the popularity of baggy jeans. She highlighted that over 30% of Pinterest’s growth in the past year has been attributed to this demographic, underscoring its influence on fashion trends.
Discussion Questions
Will PacSun help influence and spread the popularity of the baggy style, or is it merely banking on what seems to be a rising trend?
How can brands like PacSun effectively blend fashion trends with community engagement to drive retail success?
How should retail brands like PacSun balance the pursuit of current fashion trends with the need for sustainable and enduring business strategies, especially when trends like baggy denim can fluctuate in popularity?
Poll
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Carol Spieckerman
President, Spieckerman Retail
Gene Detroyer
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
Michael Zakkour
Founder - 5 New Digital &International Marketing Lead at UNILEVER
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At first glance, Pinterest may seem like an odd choice. Why not do this with TikTok or Instagram? But the data shows that Gen Z engagement with Pinterest is growing strongly and the platform has the advantage of being far less crowded and cluttered than some of its rivals. This makes it easier to cut through. Pinterest also has a niche of being used as a place to discover new ideas and products, rather than just for random scrolling, which fits well with brands wanting to sell things. So, overall, I think this is a good move by PacSun – which has moved its aesthetic and product mix on from where it was when it exited bankruptcy back in 2016.
So it wants to to show its “commitment to celebrating individuality and self-expression through fashion.” by tapping into the latest resurgence? Hopefully the customer base is too busy chasing the perfect wave to notice the incongruity.
PacSun’s baggy declaration is deceptively edgy. It’s been a minute since a mid-level specialty retailer dared to dictate and back a trend. Gap kept doing it long after it made sense. Although Pinterest is an interesting trend-forecasting choice, its growing base of demographically desirable users provides a safety net for future fashion decrees. It’s nice to see a retailer take a stand.
Time to put our JNCOS back in rotation!
Hahahahaha!
You have to put your message where your customer is looking, so if Pinterest – why not. As to baggy – well fashion happens in the blink of an eye, so you better either have your own timeless brand look, or keep those eyes firmly focused on finding the next thing.
Baggy was a rising trend years ago. PacSun is just offering the current baggy fashion — as many other retailers have been doing for a while.
Successful fashion retail brands have distinct styles and/or practical functionality that is ownable to their brands and above the fluid fashion trends.
PacSun’s 60-second video is not ownable and neither is the “initiative inviting content creators, designers, and musicians to co-create future campaigns and merchandise.” The latter is the price of entry for any fashion brand.
PacSun will sell “baggy style” clothing. And thanks to PacSun, so will every fashion brand retailer catering to the same demographic target.
PacSun’s choice of Pinterest is strategic, leveraging its growing Gen Z engagement and focused discovery. It’s not just following trends but actively shaping them through creative campaigns, partnerships, and community involvement. To drive retail success, brands like PacSun should blend fashion trends with community engagement via interactive campaigns and influencer collaborations. Balancing trends with sustainability involves investing in timeless pieces alongside trend-driven items, ensuring core strategies align with evolving consumer values.
Baggy jeans? Gap. Temu. Urban Outfitters. Even Levis’. Wranglers. How about Nordstrom? Hmmm? It doesn’t sound like PacSun is leading the baggies trend.
I happen to have visited a PacSun yesterday, along with American Eagle and Aeropostale. And Abercrombie & Fitch about a month ago. I am reminded that several years ago these 4 retailers were all knocking each other off left and right. One overall aesthetic and attitude directed at one consumer group. And now there are distinct efforts by this group at achieving differentiation and distinction from one another. ANF’s efforts have been amazing, to say the least. The vibe yesterday at PacSun was terrific. Distinctly different than ANF and AE. So I don’t think PacSun needs to create fashion waves as long as they catch them and ride them with their own differentiated point of view. The ability to participate in the rolling change in trends AND do it with a differentiated point of view is damned difficult. But it keeps PacSun out of the “me too” game. If they were different by missing all the trends, that might not be so healthy in the long term.
PAC SUN has, for several years demonstrated leadership and innovation in retail by embracing the intersection of technology, youth culture, and collaborations (eg Roblox).
I see this as another win, baggy denim is a trend, and there will be other trends that PAC SUN will fuel and/or leverage for growth.
I think PacSun is definitely riding the wave of an existing trend with Gen Z that has been in play (at least in my house) since coming out of COVID. Brand activations and partnerships like the one with Pinterest are a great way to engage their customers and build community. I think they are tapping into a cultural moment for this generation rather than influencing it. That said, they need to have the ability to shift as trends shift and not continue talking about baggy when that is no longer a thing with their target customer base.
PacSun is just riding the wave of the baggy trend rather than setting it. They’re capitalizing on what’s popular now without truly innovating.
To blend trends with community engagement, brands like PacSun should keep listening to their customers and involve them in the design process, as they’ve done with the PacSun Collective. This creates a sense of ownership and loyalty among customers.
Balancing trends with sustainable business strategies means retaining the core values and investing in quality pieces over quick-fix fashion fads. If they rely too heavily on one trend, they risk being left behind when tastes change.