Show notes
Pink wants to be the first stop on a Gen-Z shopper’s trip to the mall this holiday season. To get there, the Victoria’s Secret-owned brand is expanding beyond the pajamas, fleece and intimates it is best known for, using accessories, denim, beauty and collaborations to position itself as a broader lifestyle brand for 18- to 24-year-old women.
The strategy follows a period of renewed momentum. Pink delivered low-double-digit growth in the first quarter of 2026, supported by its core apparel and intimates businesses, improved regular-price selling, and new customer acquisition among 18- to 24-year-olds.
According to president Ali Dillon, the brand’s turnaround has been driven by a renewed focus on “clarity, customer and connection.”
“Today, Pink is evolving into a digitally native, socially driven lifestyle brand with a bold, playful and irreverent point of view,” Dillon said on the podcast. “Our product, our voice, our marketing — they’re all uniquely Pink.”
Dillon said Pink had previously lost sight of its core customer as the brand aged alongside its original shoppers. Now, it is specifically targeting 18- to 24-year-olds rather than broadly marketing to Gen Z, a generation that will continue to age out of that bracket.
Recent efforts have included working with K-pop group Twice around the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and Valentine’s Day, launching a festival campaign with “Love Island USA” star Gabby Mora, and opening a dedicated store in New York’s Soho neighborhood. According to Dillon, customers began lining up outside the Soho store at 1 a.m. on its opening day.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show held last October was also an important catalyst. Dillon said some bras featured during the event sold out almost immediately, supported by TikTok videos showing customers running into stores to buy them.
“That moment of true brand health, of this feeling like, ‘I have to go get it right now,’ is definitely something that we’ve been really proud of,” she said.
Pink is now looking to carry that urgency into the holiday 2026 season. Rather than treating the season solely as a period for traditional gift exchanges, the brand is building around what Dillon described as “treat culture”: the tendency among younger shoppers to buy smaller gifts for themselves and their friends to mark everyday achievements.
“She’s not necessarily waiting for major milestones to celebrate,” Dillon said. “She’s creating these real reasons to celebrate all the time.”
The holiday assortment, spanning a range of price points, will include everything from accessories and beauty to fleece, sleepwear, bras and matching sets. Accessories are becoming particularly important as younger shoppers remain price-conscious, though Dillon said value is not simply a matter of offering cheaper products.
“Value isn’t just about price. It’s about feeling like what you’re buying is worth it, too,” she said.
One example is Pink’s Campus Tote, which generated approximately 115,000 backorders. Dillon said the bag initially took off organically after appearing in the background of social content, rather than through a major marketing campaign. Store employees soon began reporting that shoppers were repeatedly asking when it would be restocked.
The response has encouraged Pink to further expand accessories and personalization. Dillon said the brand remains interested in charms and other customizable elements across categories including intimates, swimwear, fleece and beauty.
“Our girl loves to personalize,” she said. “She loves to make something unique.”
Sleepwear will remain central to Pink’s holiday business, but the brand is increasingly presenting it as part of an all-day wardrobe. Dillon pointed to shoppers wearing pajama-inspired clothing from bed to brunch or the beach, allowing Pink to merchandise sleepwear alongside bras and casual apparel.
That cross-category approach was recently used for the Marshmallow bra, which the company launched last week alongside a modal sleepwear collection. Pink developed the bra after research found that 60% of women ages 18-24 wanted a more comfortable option.
Denim and beauty are also areas of expansion. Pink has tested trend-driven jeans, shorts, skirts and jackets, and Dillon said the company has “a lot of exciting things in the hopper” for beauty.
Collaborations will remain part of the strategy, but Dillon said they are intended to amplify Pink rather than define it. The brand’s first LoveShackFancy drop last November generated what she described as the strongest five minutes of sales in the history of Pink’s website, with shoppers gravitating toward established Pink products reworked through the collaboration.
Pink is also trying to build a healthier business by relying less heavily on discounts. Dillon described the approach as prioritizing “emotion over promotion,” while acknowledging that the company will still need to deliver competitive value during Black Friday this season.
By the end of the season, Pink will be looking at customer acquisition, regular-price demand, and whether holiday shoppers continue to engage with the brand into 2027.
“We often say, ‘Meet me at Pink,’” Dillon said, talking about where teens meet up in the mall. “Where are you meeting when you’re starting your shopping trip? We want her to go there first.”