Pacsun revamps SoHo flagship

New York’s Pacsun SoHo flagship has a new facelift. The store recently debuted a new look after being embellished with the brand’s newly released Etoile Monogram Capsule pattern in celebration of the summer 2022 collection.

Pacsun’s Etoile Monogram Capsule is a fully gender-fluid collection inspired by the sand and sea of California’s coastline, consisting of not only apparel, but lifestyle items and summer essentials in aqua, sand, and limone. The collection is also available for Pacsun Kids, with renditions of styles in bright orange.

The SoHo takeover comes after Pacsun made a splash through the figurative flooding of its storefront with an augmented reality video display produced by Misato Studio. To kickoff in-person activities for consumers and guests, Pacsun hosted a live stream with runway model and content creator Mathieu Simoneau, who gave a preview of the collection, store displays, and décor. Simoneau also stars in the campaign alongside TikTok star Emma Chamberlain.

Throughout May, customers can enjoy boardwalk-like entertainment, including branded claw machines. Along with the physical store components, the first-ever monogram takeover can be seen now on Pacsun’s social media, as well as in the metaverse on Pacworld, with 3-D layered clothing launched last week and their newest rollout of the NFT series Pac Mall Rats.

"At Pacsun, we're always finding creative ways to interact with our consumers, keeping in mind how much they value both their physical and virtual identities," said Brieane Olson, president of Pacsun, in a statement. "With our first-ever Etoile Monogram Capsule, we wanted to authentically engage our consumers and immerse them in the collection through different digital and physical touchpoints, showcasing the true intersection of fashion, technology, lifestyle and community."

SoHo, which has long been one of Manhattan’s prime retail destinations, is seeing an even bigger comeback since the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions. The neighborhood was one of the first signs of Manhattan’s retail rental rebound recording the highest new leases in 2021 with over 202,000 square feet leased across 42 transactions.

With New York’s tourism numbers slowing rebounding, it is also a great time for stores to invest in their retail spaces. In 2022, tourism numbers are expected to reach 56 million. This is still below the pre-pandemic numbers of 66 million, but an increase from 2021.