How PacSun leverages influencers and turned 1 TikTok creator into $20M in denim sales

PacSun has launched its first Youth Advisory Council, featuring Gen Z and Gen Alpha influencers who will directly advise executives on product development, marketing campaigns, and business decisions. The move reflects CEO Brieane Olson’s strategy to compete in the $114.6 billion denim market not through massive marketing spend, but by embedding customer voices into core business operations.

The big picture: While competitors like American Eagle, Gap, and Levi’s poured millions into celebrity-driven campaigns during 2025’s “denim wars,” PacSun is betting that real-time customer feedback and creator-driven insights will deliver better results than traditional marketing approaches.

Who’s on the council: The inaugural Youth Advisory Council includes seven Gen Z and Gen Alpha members who will participate in workshops and mentorship sessions with PacSun executives.

• Anna Sitar (@annaxsitar) – TikTok creator with over 12 million followers and co-creator of the ANNAXPACSUN swimwear line.
• Jabari and Malik Williams (@william_twinss) – TikTok twin creators and frequent PacSun partners.
• Life.w.Bex (@life.w.bex) – Lifestyle creator known for “get ready with me” content.
• Sienna Lewis (@sienna_.lewis) – Micro-influencer and president of Chapman University’s Black Art Association.
• Valera Djordjevic (@valeradjordjevic) – Model and emerging tastemaker with global appeal.
• Teala Dunn (@ttlyteala) – Actress and creator who appears at PacSun events.
• Anais and Mirabelle Lee (@anaisandmirabelle) – Twin actresses entering Stanford this year.

Why creators matter: PacSun’s TikTok affiliate program has already demonstrated the power of authentic creator content over traditional marketing campaigns.

• In late 2023, creator Lyla Biggs with 5,000 followers posted a casual video styling the Casey Jean, leading to 11,000 pairs sold within 48 hours before Black Friday.
• The style eventually moved over 60,000 pairs on TikTok and helped drive more than 200,000 denim units overall, generating over $20 million in sales from TikTok alone.
• “Lyla was the spark. She did not pitch the Casey jeans. She just wore it her way, and people saw themselves,” explained Chief Merchandising Officer Richard Cox.

Digital infrastructure drives speed: PacSun has built comprehensive systems under Chief Digital and Information Officer Shirley Gao to capture customer interactions across all touchpoints in real-time.

• Data flows from 300 stores, e-commerce, loyalty programs, TikTok Shop sales, creator posts, and affiliate conversions into unified systems.
• The company was among the first fashion brands to launch on TikTok Shop, piloting enterprise integrations that have delivered tens of millions in sales.
• “Gen Z and Gen Alpha will not tell you what is wrong. They just leave. We have to capture signals fast enough to adapt before they move on,” Gao noted.

AI investments target youth culture: CEO Olson created PacSun’s AI Council with an 18-month adoption roadmap, focusing on Agentic AI to anticipate customer needs.

• The company moved enterprise data to Snowflake, a cloud-based data platform, early to ensure AI wouldn’t be blocked by infrastructure limitations.
• “Without first-party data, predictive tools don’t function. With it, we can make sure PacSun anticipates what works and shows up with relevant, credible answers when customers ask AI where to shop,” Gao explained.

Market context: Analysts project denim sales will reach $114.6 billion by 2030, with Gen Z and Gen Alpha driving 42% of purchases, making them the most valuable and volatile shoppers in the market.

What they’re saying: Olson emphasized the long-term nature of PacSun’s customer-centric approach.

• “At PacSun, we’ve always believed the best ideas come from building alongside our community, not just for them,” she said.
• “Our company’s most important shareholder is our customer. Everything we do has to pass their gut check.”