$970 million Pacsun CEO says Gen Alpha and Gen Z are ‘greatly misunderstood’—so she made a board of 13- to 22-year-olds to give her advice

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Brieane Olson, the CEO of Pacsun, says leaders will get a “get a much better return” if they listen to Gen Z and Gen Alpha instead of writing them off.

Bosses and senior staffers often moan about how young professionals are disengaged and lack initiative. But Brieane Olson, the CEO of Pacsun, warns against overlooking Gen Z and Gen Alpha—and she’s even ensuring they get a seat at the table of the fashion giant that hit $970 million in sales last year.

“I definitely felt, having spent so much time on the front-line with young consumers, that Gen Z and Gen Alpha were greatly misunderstood,” Olson tells Fortune. “And so, what could we do as a brand that caters to young people to really give them a seat at the table and to build something meaningful and really put community first?”

Once every year, Pacsun’s Youth Advisory Council gathers with company executives to discuss big business concerns.

The mini board of directors—comprised of 15 Gen Alpha and Gen Zers aged 13 to 22 who are rotated in each year—weigh in on pressing industry needs, what Pacsun should do differently, and the best paths moving forward.

The country’s youngest minds bring critical feedback directly to Olson and other company executives, touching upon everything from the customer experience to the way stores operate.

“I think one of the things that has taught me personally about working with this council over the last two years, is really that working with these younger generations requires sometimes giving additional context. And so it’s really important to bring them along for the journey and to answer the whys before they become a why,” the CEO says. “The most important thing is to truly listen—allow to have a dialogue, be a part of the reasoning, the why, the discussions—and you get a much better return.”

Pacsun’s youth council quickly gained popularity among young generations wanting their voices to be heard.

The company hand-selected participants in its first year spanning between 2024 and 2025, but when it opened the floodgates to young people across the country, almost 1,000 people applied to the 2026 to 2027 cohort.

The company now works with about…

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