From Bankruptcy to Revival: Cracking the Gen Z Code with Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson

With around 2 billion people globally in Gen Z—roughly 25% of the world’s population—it’s no surprise so many consumer companies are racing to connect with them, drawn to their spending influence today and their growing economic power tomorrow. Yet capturing their loyalty is anything but straightforward.

In today’s Redefiners episode, Tomas and Marla talk with a leader in youth fashion, Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson, who seems to have cracked the code on Gen Z and even wrote a book on it: Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun. Brieane shares how she helped lead Pacsun's turnaround after bankruptcy, the leadership lessons that shaped her early days as CEO, and how she shifted the culture from "brand telling" to "customer listening" and co-creation. She also covers how Pacsun is using AI to deepen customer relationships and drive sales, along with her playbook for building authentic partnerships that resonate.

We’ll also hear from Emmy Melville, a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates, who shares how today’s leadership teams can sustain performance when change never stops.

Brieane Olson
CEO, Pacsun

Brieane Olson, author of Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun, is chief executive officer of Pacsun, a leading youth fashion retailer known for its innovative, purpose-driven brand strategy. Olson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and business from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. She serves on the boards of Women in Retail Leadership, National Retail Federation, and Conscious Capitalism. She also is a frequent speaker on purpose-driven leadership, retail innovation, and the future of consumer engagement.