Brieane Olson is the Chief Executive Officer of Pacsun, a leading youth lifestyle retailer known for its innovative, purpose-driven brand strategy. With nearly two decades at the company, Olson has led transformational growth through bold merchandising, strategic partnerships, and a deep focus on Gen Z consumers. Her leadership reflects a modern retail mindset that blends creativity, data, and social consciousness to build relevance in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Before becoming CEO in April 2023, Olson served as president of Pacsun, where she helped redefine the brand’s identity through digital-first campaigns and groundbreaking collaborations. Under her direction, Pacsun launched high-impact initiatives with cultural icons, including A$AP Rocky, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Jerry Lorenzo. She also oversaw the brand's international expansion into Selfridges London and the Middle East establishing Pacsun as a global style influencer. Olson’s approach to business centers on aligning brand values with community needs. She led Pacsun’s $5 million investment in inner-city Inglewood schools and developed localized outreach through the Delivering Good program, empowering store teams to make tangible, community-level change. Her ability to pair business growth with social good underscores her belief that companies thrive when they reflect and uplift the communities they serve.
With a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and business from the University of California, Berkeley, and as a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program—where she now serves as an ambassador—Olson has built a career at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and leadership development. She has also worked with luxury fashion houses in Italy, further shaping her understanding of global brand positioning and design thinking.
Olson currently serves on the boards of Women in Retail Leadership, Pinterest, the National Retail Foundation CEO Council, Conscious Capitalism, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She is a frequent speaker on purpose-driven leadership, retail innovation, and the future of consumer engagement. She lives in Southern California with her two children, Rousseau and Colette.
I believe the same philosophy applies to leadership as it does to branding. You can't lead people effectively if you're only talking to them. The best ideas don't come from one person at the top. They come from creating an environment where people feel comfortable contributing, challenging assumptions, and building something together.
At Pacsun, co-creation is part of how we operate. Through initiatives like our Youth Council and the Youth Report, we're constantly listening to the next generation instead of making assumptions about what they want. Internally, I try to foster that same mindset by encouraging curiosity, collaboration, and diverse perspectives across every team. Some of our strongest ideas have come from people who saw a problem, or an opportunity, from a completely different point of view.
Leadership today isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating the conditions for great ideas to come from anywhere.
Relevance is the outcome. Curiosity is how you get there. If you're focused only on staying relevant, it's easy to chase trends. Curiosity keeps you grounded in understanding why people think, behave, and connect the way they do.
That's why we invest so much in listening. The Youth Report wasn't created to validate our assumptions – it was created to challenge them. Our Youth Council gives us ongoing dialogue with the next generation, and those conversations often reshape how we think about products, experiences, and even leadership.
For me, curiosity isn't something you turn on during strategy sessions. It's a mindset you carry every day.
Thank you. Writing Co-Created felt like a natural next step after leading through one of the most transformative periods in retail.
Throughout my career, I've seen that the strongest brands aren't built for customers. They're built with them. At Pacsun, co-creation means inviting our community into the process, listening to their perspectives, and giving them a meaningful role in shaping the brand. That philosophy has transformed how I think about leadership, innovation, and long-term growth.
I wanted to share what I've learned about leading through change, building organizations rooted in curiosity and collaboration, and creating cultures that stay relevant because they stay connected to the people they serve.
More than anything, I hope the book encourages leaders to rethink the traditional top-down approach. Co-creation isn't just a business strategy. It's a leadership mindset. When you genuinely build alongside your customers and empower your teams to listen, adapt, and act, you create stronger businesses, deeper loyalty, and more meaningful impact.
I don't think there's one secret, but if I had to point to one habit, it would be listening.
The biggest opportunities in my career have come from staying open to feedback, new perspectives, and people who see the world differently than I do. The moment you think you have all the answers is usually the moment you stop learning.
Leadership isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. It's about asking good questions, surrounding yourself with great people, and creating an environment where the best ideas can come from anyone.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She chose a difficult path at a time when advocating for women's rights required extraordinary courage, and she helped lay the legal foundation for generations of women who came after her.
What has always inspired me isn't just what she accomplished. It's how she accomplished it. She led with conviction, patience, and an unwavering commitment to long-term change instead of quick wins.
That's the kind of leadership I aspire to. Staying true to your values, doing the work thoughtfully, and recognizing that meaningful progress often takes time.
My family, without a doubt. No matter how demanding work gets, they're what keep me grounded and remind me what matters most. Some of my favorite moments are the simplest ones, whether it's a quiet evening at home, spending time by the ocean, or just being together without distractions. That's where I recharge, gain perspective, and reset.
I've learned that being fully present with the people I love ultimately makes me a better leader. It allows me to show up with more empathy, patience, and clarity for my team, my colleagues, and the decisions we make together.
Self-expression is having a huge moment right now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
What's especially exciting is how young people are reimagining nostalgia. We're seeing inspiration from the 2000s and 2010s everywhere, but they aren't simply bringing those looks back. They're mixing influences across decades, cultures, music, art, and sport to create something that's uniquely their own.
Fashion today isn't about following trends exactly as they're presented. It's about using style as a form of self-expression and creating a look that's authentic to you.
That's why co-creation is so central to Pacsun. We don't just observe these cultural shifts. We build alongside our community. Their creativity inspires what we create just as much as we hope to inspire them. That's what makes this moment so exciting. Nostalgia isn't about looking backward. It's about using the past as a springboard for what's next.
One book that's had a lasting impact on me is True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George.
At its core, it's about authentic leadership, understanding your values and leading from them instead of trying to fit someone else's definition of what a leader should be.
That idea has stayed with me throughout my career because there isn't a playbook for every challenge. At Pacsun, we've navigated periods of tremendous transformation, and I've learned that the most important thing you can do is stay grounded in your purpose while remaining open enough to listen, adapt, and evolve.
The book reinforced something I believe deeply. People don't follow titles. They follow leaders they trust. When you're clear on who you are and what you stand for, you can navigate change with confidence while bringing others along with you.
