A few years ago, Pacsun discovered what it believed was an opportunity for an elevated alternative to the young men’s uniform of baggy T-shirts, jeans and hoodies. So it developed a new private brand, Field of Study by Pacsun, centered around dressier options, and began testing it in a handful of stores.

That 25-store test proved to be so successful that the collection has now been rolled out to the entire 300-plus unit chain for fall.

When Field of Studio was introduced to Pacsun‘s better stores around the U.S., “we got really good reads on it out of the gates — 20 percent sell-through in the first week,” said Richard Cox, the retailer’s chief merchandising officer. “That’s why we decided to roll it out to the broader chain.”

Menswear, historically a strength for Pacsun, currently accounts for nearly 45 percent of the company’s overall business, which is around $1 billion in volume. “That’s one of our differentiators,” Cox said. “We’re a dual-gender retailer with a sizable men’s business.”

The Pacsun chain targets a 16- to 24-year-old consumer, but in men’s, Cox said, “we identified a white space in the market — not only for our own business but in general. There are not a lot of good places for that age group to get more elevated product that is not overly casual.”

He said that when these young men need to attend an event, a special dinner or get ready for an internship, it’s historically been hard for them to find outfits that are distinct from what their older brothers and fathers would wear. “When you need to dress up a little bit more and need something a bit more premium and elevated, where do you go?” Cox asked.

So the Pacsun team had a “strategic conversation” to address the issue and realized “it could be a huge opportunity for us as a brand.”

The result was Field of Study, which Cox described as “a premium brand of elevated basics but really cool fashion as well. It’s a bit higher price point and just better materials and construction.”

Dominic Chavez, the company’s creative director, described it as “an extension of Pacsun that feels a little more elevated and has a bit more contemporary sensibilities in terms of the silhouette and fabrications.”

The top-selling item is a checkered button-down woven shirt, along with other button-down options, followed by what they described as a “baby T,” which is slimmer and more cropped than a traditional Pacsun silhouette. “It’s definitely more contemporary and multiple colorways of that T-shirt have done really well for us,” Cox said.

He added that “ringer Ts” are also becoming popular, along with a baggy denim short and baggy long pants. “Those are probably the top fan favorites.”

In terms of pricing, Field of Study pieces are about 10 to 15 percent more expensive than the core Pacsun assortment. The baby T-shirt is between $45 and $50, sweaters are $70 to $80 and outerwear is around $100. But the company hasn’t experienced price resistance.

“It’s still a growing brand for us,” Cox said. “Our Pacsun brand is the number-one brand in the store and it hasn’t approached those levels yet, nor do we expect it to. But for the size we’re buying it and across the chain, there’s no resistance.”

Field of Study tends to attract young men at the older range of its 16- to 24-year-old target. “The age might be slightly younger for the core line, but strategically, we know Gen Z is getting older. So we wanted to see if there was a way to hold onto them a little bit longer while we’re also acquiring [Gen] Alpha, and this is the way to do that. But the spirit of the customer is very similar.”

To introduce the brand to customers, Pacsun uses a different marketing approach, Chavez said. “We haven’t done an on-location shoot with multiple models, but when you’re trying to break into this higher niche/more contemporary space, it’s more about letting the product do the talking. It’s different than what we lean into for our mainline Pacsun line, and that’s intentional.”

The most recent shoot is a behind-the-scenes look at a model in a studio wearing pieces from the collection.

The name Field of Study derives from the extensive travel the Pacsun team does to ensure its designs are on trend. “It stems from seeing what’s out in the field, studying it and then bringing it back and turning it into something that is very laid-back and California-centric that aligns with our ethos,” Chavez said.

Private brands in total account for a little more than half of Pacsun’s business. The store also has exclusive partnerships, such as one it did with Formula 1, so the total percentage of product only available in its stores is 75 to 80 percent.

Looking to the future, although some Field of Study pieces are available in every store, there are still at least 100 where the entire collection is not yet offered. “That’s an easy way to grow the brand,” Cox said.

So is increasing the number of deliveries, from twice a year to multiple drops.

“And we’d love to see the brand grow outside of Pacsun’s walls,” he said.

The core Pacsun brand is sold wholesale to other retailers such as Nordstrom and the team believes Field of Study could also take that path.

“We’d love to give Field of Study an opportunity to stand on its own,” Cox said.