PacSun was the go-to store for teenagers looking to get the newest surf-inspired clothing because of its legendary California-cool past, which is anchored in street, skate, and surf culture.
They have recently strayed from sunny surf culture and toward sleek, contemporary streetwear. Urban youth culture has emerged as a result of the beach and board short days, as evidenced by collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, the Jenner sisters, Been Trill, Billabong, Vans, and the highly sought-after Fear of God “Essentials” label.
We must ask, is PacSun quick fashion, given that the brand’s apparel is still in demand forty years after it was established?
Let us uncover the reality underlying this casual designation.
1. Uncovering Why PacSun Is Fast Fashion
Having established itself as THE young-focused street culture hotspot in 1982, the well-known American retail clothing brand has been a youth and teen favorite for decades. It sells “it” clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Its golden era is far from ended, even if Millennials may have happy memories of their surf-hut-styled boutiques found in every American mall.
The company, which is ranked with Supreme, Palace, and Yeezy as the top “cool kid” brand, has persevered and become more popular than ever even after declaring bankruptcy in 2016.
They boasted over 325 outlets around the US and Puerto Rico as of today, having sold over $900 million worth of items in 2021 and over $33 million in online sales in February 2024.
But given all that cash, does PacSun really act morally when it comes to lessening the effects of their products? Or do they just follow the trend of rapid fashion?
Unfortunately, PacSun is fast fashion—as seen by its self-satisfied claims that “Shopping’s even EASIER now!”—thousands of weekly online new arrivals, a bare-minimum code of conduct, and a lack of clear or traceable information about its supply chain.
There’s no sign of any real free-wheelin’ street-stylin’ steps in the right direction, despite the brand’s current attempts to position itself among eco-friendly clothing brands—a la a new PacCares section adorned with slogans like “Be the Change”, a Sustainability Shop that “results in a better tomorrow”, and a well-publicized PS Reserve resale platform.
They offer no strategies to minimize dangerous chemicals, no aim for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and no yearly report that is directed towards consumers that has verifiable, traceable environmental and ethical goals.
Put another way, there is more space for PacSun to improve their ethical and sustainability practices than just their newest expensive, oversized, green-washed streetwear.
Still, is PacSun at least of a high caliber?
Although the majority of the teen market loves this store for its superior street merchandise and frequently pays much more for it than they would for typical fast fashion, this does not lessen the cost of their operations, which is borne by the exploitation of workers and the environment by brands like PacSun and Free People.
2. PacSun Controversies
When compared to their quick fashion counterparts like Dolls Kill or Urban Outfitters, PacSun has managed to avoid scandals almost entirely since its founding.
This is probably due to the fact that they hide their activities so well that we are unable to determine whether or not they employ forced labor from Uyghurs (a la Shein or UO), for example, or whether child labor has ever occurred in their factories.
With that said, here is our summary of the PacSun controversy:
Bankruptcy
PacSun filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US in 2016 as a result of high occupancy expenses and approaching debt maturity. Subsequently, the company canceled its auctions and saw a sharp decline in its stock price, which fell to only 10 cents per share from $2.50 a year earlier.
Then, with the assistance of Golden Gate Capital, PacSun revealed its proposal to restructure and become a privately held corporation. Wells Fargo provided a $100 million credit line, while GGC contributed $20 million in capital.
It’s quite amazing that they were able to maintain their position as one of the top sites for young culture, especially considering how widely shared “RIP PacSun” memes were at the time on the internet.
Ultimately, PacSun’s stockholders reaped the rewards, as both customers and leadership teams prospered within the newly privately held firm. They were able to maintain the operation of every store, growing in the same year and quickly joining up with Eddie Bauer, another GGC-owned company, to become PSEB in 2018.
It’s quite amazing they were able to maintain their position as one of the top sites for youth culture, especially considering the internet was flooded with “RIP PacSun” tributes at the time.
Ultimately, the company’s stockholders lost out, but executives and customers continued to prosper in the newly privately held PacSun. All of their locations remained open, and in 2018 they even expanded. Soon after, they merged with Eddie Bauer, another GGC-owned company, to form PSEB.
Upside Down Flag T-Shirt
Over Memorial Day weekend in 2015, PacSun released a t-shirt with an upside-down American flag in black and white, the result of a botched collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky.
Over the holiday, a large number of consumers rushed to social media to express their displeasure, calling the shirt’s graphic “disrespectful,” “disgusting,” and “insulting” because, according to the official U.S. Flag Code, an upside-down flag is an unofficial symbol of concern.
PacSun said it was taking the shirt down right away from its website and retail locations “out of respect for those who have put their lives on the line for our country” in a Facebook statement to its 2 million+ followers.
PacSun said it was taking the shirt down right away from its website and retail locations “out of respect for those who have put their lives on the line for our country” in a Facebook statement to its 2 million+ followers.
AI Robot Influencer Criticisms
PacSun chose Lil Miquela, an AI-generated CGI avatar model, to be the brand ambassador for their 2022 Back to School Campaign in an attempt to remain relevant to today’s youth. This decision was met with strong criticism.
The fact that the company couldn’t or wouldn’t find a real woman to serve as its newest ambassador raised many questions about the company.
One commenter said, “They chose a CGI personality who is probably run by a team of 10 guys as their ‘female advocate’ instead of a real woman.”
“Yeah, let’s use a dummy to model actual clothing, which will be digitally altered to fit the dummy model perfectly and never ever look the same on an actual human,” another person wrote. Yes, that’s how we’ll market our clothes and establish our brand’s relatability.
Numerous studies demonstrate the detrimental effects of social media on the mental health of young females. They then presented an incredibly idealized young girl created using computer graphics as a reference for their appearance. This is repulsive,” another person said.
Despite requests for comment regarding the controversy, PacSun never responded.
PacSun x Brandy Melville Collab Under Fire
controversial brand that claims to suit all Due to accusations of racism and exploitation at Brandy Melville, as detailed in an Insider investigation, Pacsun and Brandy Melville found themselves in a heated dispute regarding their cooperation.
A brand representative for PacSun sent Insider an email stating that the company was “deeply troubled by the allegations raised, as the conduct described runs fully counter to Pacsun’s values.” “We are investigating the situation and treating this matter seriously in order to decide on the best course of action.”
“People are unaware of this company’s corruption. A BM employee added in confidence, “It’s a disgusting company, and the company needs to be shut down.”
The founder Stephan Marsan of Brandy Melville edited his face onto Adolf Hitler’s body in a photo that was one of the leaked screenshots showing executives laughing racist and antisemitic jokes in a group conversation.
In the meantime, Pacsun has maintained its collaboration as the US’s sole distributor of Brandy Melville, a role it has held since 2011.
Art Theft
The sad truth about the quick fashion industry is that art theft is almost a standard practice. However, because pursuing these legal suits can be so expensive, artists frequently go unpaid, and the big boys are effectively given the go-ahead for highway robbery in the indie design space.
In March 2024, one of the most well-known art thefts from PacSun happened from Portland, Oregon-based artist Sam Larson. The obvious rip-off is highlighted on Sam’s Instagram feed.
Wage Theft
According to this lawsuit, PacSun was accused of wage theft since a worker put in on-call hours but was not paid correctly in accordance with state law.
“On call” working is a popular (and blatantly immoral) retail technique that allows employers to “skirt” paying staff members while keeping them available for work. “People should not have to keep the day open, arrange for child care, and give up other opportunities without being compensated for their time,” stated New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in an interview.
However, the wage requirement in California stipulates that an employee must to be paid for half of their scheduled workday, regardless of whether they are actually put to work or not.
PacSun decided in 2016 to eliminate on-call work shifts following this scandal.
Poor Reviews
Does PacSun’s consumer base think well of the brand, at the very least?
Apparently, the internet has spoken, since the brand only received 1.5 ratings out of 5 from SiteJabber and 1.3 stars out of 5 from TrustPilot.
Users can write evaluations on any of these websites based on quality, value, delivery, returns, and service.
It’s shocking how many negative reviews there are, along with the amount of bad customer service, missing things, delayed deliveries, and even charges of scams. In addition, the majority of negative reviews have supporting documentation from the client.
3. PacSun Ethical Issues
PacSun Labor Practices
First and foremost, we require some kind of transparency into PacSun’s operations in order to evaluate their ethical standards. However, this company offers no transparency at all, and they don’t release reports that measure progress toward ethical reforms or set goals.
The only thing we have to go on is their extremely scant Social Responsibility page, which covers very little in the way of suppliers, conduct guidelines, working conditions, and pay. They offer no proof that any of this ambiguous verbiage is being adhered to.
We have no idea where PacSun clothing is manufactured. It claims to undertake routine audits using WRAP and SA8000, but since there is no information about their factories, conclusions, or salaries available to the public, we have to presume the worst.
The brand’s stated goal is to “inspire and bring about positive development in our local and global communities,” but this is obviously just lip service meant to appeal to well-meaning teenage customers.
PacSun needs to go through a protracted catwalk phase before it can be regarded as an ethical brand, assuming the company genuinely cares about the individuals who create the labels.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
While promoting “Inspiring positive development, one style at a time” under the PacCares label. Modify your appearance. “Change the world,” there is little evidence of diversity and inclusivity in the company’s direct operations or supply chain.
The whole thing is more of a marketing ploy to make PacSun appear like they care while in reality they only do the bare minimum to help these charities or their communities. This is true even if the company supports charities like Girl Up, Legal Defense Fund, Stem to the Future, and Born This Way Foundation.
For instance, Stem to the Future inspires young people of color to contribute to the solutions to problems such as poverty, public safety, and climate change.
Is PacSun’s dedication to these causes legitimate, though? If so, shouldn’t PacSun take the lead in implementing truly ethical and ecologically sustainable sourcing, manufacturing, packing, and shipping practices?
As of this writing, the women’s area of PacCares, which supports these groups, only has TWENTY products for sale, compared to over 1000 items in the women’s new arrivals section and 9,822 items in the whole women’s sector.
4. PacSun Sustainability
So, is PacSun sustainable?
We cannot in good conscience refer to this brand as sustainable, even though it has recently started a sustainable apparel pilot project, has a PS Reserve resale line, and has partnered with Levi’s and other brands in the Blue Jeans Go Green program to recycle used jeans.
According to their website:
It’s our mission statement, our motto, to “Do Good, Look Good.” The goal of PacSun’s sustainability line is to make eco-friendly, sustainable items using a combination of organic and recycled materials.
Its denim is “sustainably sourced,” but there is no certification or explanation of what that even means. Additionally, the organic clothing in this line is uncertified and frequently mixed with non-organic fabrics. In the meantime, the minimal items in this sustainability line have fabrics that contain 40% or more virgin plastic.
Their resale site appears to be more of a means of marketing expensive deadstock items than of genuinely adopting a circular approach to fashion, and they follow an intrinsically unsustainable fast fashion model of quick trend cycles while offering no proof of eliminating textile waste in their supply chain.
Furthermore, there is no proof that they are taking any action to lessen or stop the use of dangerous chemicals in the creation of PacSun apparel.
Furthermore, they don’t even appear interested in genuinely lowering greenhouse gas emissions across their whole supply chain.
Regrettably, this business is a masterwork of streetwise opacity and greenwashing, as they persistently produce fruitless pilot initiatives that simply take shortcuts to appear more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
Their Sustainability webpage states, “We aim to introduce products that are devoted to the protection of Mother Earth and highlight our journey to a more sustainable future, inspired by a sense of wonder and desire for a deeper meaning.”
Although we are grateful for this attitude, PacSun still has a ways to go before this brand is regarded as an ethical or sustainable fashion brand.
