Teen apparel retailer debuts gender-neutral brand
Pacsun is launching its first fully dedicated gender-neutral apparel collection, Colour Range.
The eco- and sustainable Colour Range collection, which includes adults and kids categories, features a range of cotton-based relaxed staples, including t-shirts, sweatpants, cargo and slim-fit pants in solid colors and tie-dye prints.
To commemorate the launch, Pacsun hosted a livestream shopping experience at its downtown Los Angeles store with influencers Zendaya Taylor and Reilly Patton, followed by a larger event for all ages. An in-store buildout in Pacsun's Whitespace showcased the new gender-neutral collection, and customers had the opportunity to purchase pieces onsite with custom embroidery options. In addition, musician and activist Willow performed while wearing Colour Range clothing items.
Every piece from this capsule is made from organic cotton, and fabrics are eco-friendly, made with partial recycled and organic yarn. The brand will continue to amplify storytelling on TikTok through the social initiative “Life in Colour.” Pacsun will be working with micro content creators to show the ways in which fashion inspires (and brings colour) to their day-to-day life.
Each content creator will answer a series of questions ranging from what inspires them most and what they are most passionate about. Influencers will be tasked with the additional leading questions to help curate impactful messaging around what they like most about themselves, their go-to outfits that make them the happiest, and how they try to make a difference in their community.
This will all be shared on Pacsun's social channels aligned with the launch of the Colour Range campaign. In addition, the company will continue livestreaming to show consumers a new way to shop online with new collaborations and drops. According to Pacsun, livestreaming has been a successful way for the brand to prompt high engagement with viewers. The whitespaces in the downtown Los Angeles and New York City flagship stores served as a backdrop to show the new collection of Colour Range.
[Read more: Survey: Apparel shopping, livestreaming show promise post-pandemic]
The retailer initially unveiled its Gender-Neutral Shop in September 2020 as a step towards a more inclusive future and shopping experience. In Spring 2021, Pacsun, with The Fashion Scholarship Fund, hosted a Gender-Neutral Design Competition, and dropped new gender-neutrals styles as part of its Spring 2021 campaign.
Most recently, Pacsun released a dedicated kids label with a full range of gender free pieces. Denim brand Levi’s is also moving into gender-neutral fashion, curating non-binary styles for global buy now pay later (BNPL) platform Afterpay’s GenderFree Shop, a dedicated online storefront that does not present products based on gender.
"Colour Range is a natural extension of the Pacsun brand as we continue to focus on advancing our designs and product offerings to eliminate gender bias and empower self-expression," said Brie Olson, president of Pacsun. "These hand-picked styles were truly curated without a specific gender in mind, to dress the new generation with silhouettes made for everyone."
"Gender-neutral is a growing category for us, reaching more than 20% of our offerings," said Alfred Chang, CEO of Pacsun. "And with Gen Z, our primary consumer, seeking more fluid fashion options, we wanted to give them more options through Colour Range, proving our continued dedication to producing products that are devoted to a more sustainable future."