Pacsun launches gender-neutral kids category

Dive Brief:

Apparel retailer Pacsun announced Monday that it is launching a new category, Pacsun Kids, according to a company press release.
Pacsun Kids will feature gender-neutral apparel for children between the ages of 4 and 14 and is available on the company's website, with its wholesale partner, Nordstrom, and at pop-ups later this year in Pacsun's Los Angeles and NYC flagship stores.
The company also said it will introduce its first full gender-neutral brand in the fall, Colour Range, which will include a kids category.

Dive Insight:

Pacsun is extending its product offerings by going gender-neutral with its new kids category.

"When we put limits on what kids can wear, we're putting limits on their minds, interests, & imaginations," the Pacsun website said about its new gender-neutral kids collection, stressing that there are "no rules or labels."

The category will feature styles from its partnered brands, including FOG Essential Kids, Adidas, Santa Cruz, Vans, Champion and others. The company said the brands it has curated and launched alongside "embody the ethos of gender free dressing."

The expansion follows other pushes by the retailer to go further into genderless apparel offerings. The company first introduced a gender-neutral category in September 2020, and in the spring, unveiled its Summer 2021 campaign that highlighted gender-neutral styles.

"Everything that we do at Pacsun is built on youth culture, so we love to let our young community really lead the style conversation and reflect how they want to express themselves and what they feel comfortable wearing," Brie Olson, chief brand officer at Pacsun, said about the summer collection.

In the past few years, other retailers have also delved into genderless clothing. In 2018, Abercrombie & Fitch revealed the "Everybody Collection"— its first unisex kids line. Old Navy features a gender-neutral section of its website, as does Target, specifically for its Pride collection.

Additionally, on Friday, the retailer announced the release of "Kendall & Kylie's Exclusive Collection" as part of the 10-year anniversary of the company's partnership with the celebrities. It will go live on the company's website on July 8.