Back to school at PacSun

I wanted to check out PacSun’s back-to-school floor set, and got permission from the PacSun executive team to photograph the store at The Block at Orange, which usually gets merchandised before others.

See our slide show above for lots of photos from the store.

My overall impression is the brand mix has shifted, and you can also definitely see how PacSun is attempting to attract an older, more fashionable customer.

My other impression is that new brands like Diamond and Young & Reckless are getting some serious play there and prominent positioning.

RVCA also appeared dominant, and Hurley had lots of Ts and backpacks. Volcom had a table toward the middle of the store with a nice selection of goods.

Overall, I saw less of Fox, DC, Billabong, WeSC and Element, and Hurley cut-and-sew than in years past.

On the girls’ side, Roxy appeared to have the biggest presence and Billabong had several pieces in the store. Fox Girls had a table in the back, but otherwise I didn’t see much cut-and-sew from industry brands.

I did see PacSun introducing several brands I haven’t seen on the girls’ side before, which you can check out in our slide show above.

On the shoe front, Vans and Nike are doing some serious business with PacSun, and it was nice to see other brands like Etnies, Emerica, New Balance and Globe getting some shelf space as well.

The store has changed a lot from several years ago when there were tables and tables of basics in lots of different colors. It now definitely has more fashionable vibe, and looks more aspirational.

It will be interesting to see how the crucial back-to-school and holiday shopping season turns out.