Close to 7,500 people are employed across 30 apparel companies in Orange County as of April, according to Business Journal research.
Of the 14 locally based companies that provided current headcounts to the Business Journal, six reported gains in OC employees.
Irvine-based Boot Barn Holdings Inc. has 572 Orange County employees as of April, up from 482 a year ago—a nearly 19% gain. Companywide, the western wear retailer jumped 24% to 13,000 employees.
Chief Executive John Hazen credits overall growth to the company’s recent retail expansion; Boot Barn reached 500 stores last November and now expects to operate 1,200 locations in the U.S.
“We have continued opening new stores across the country, while our legacy comparable stores have also increased sales volume,” Hazen told the Business Journal.
Boot Barn reported nearly $2.2 billion in sales for the calendar year 2025. That figure doesn’t capture its full fiscal year, which ended March 28 (NYSE: BOOT).
The Pacsun Story
Pacsun increased its local headcount in Anaheim by 12% to 475 employees. Total employees companywide increased 5% to 5,920.
Last December, Pacsun said it would open its first international store in Dubai in spring 2026, with plans for up to 20 more stores in the Middle East over the next five years.
The company also announced plans to add 20 to 35 new U.S. stores over the next three years.
Bylt, which originated as an online-based retailer, grew its local headcount by 29% to 121.
“Consistent annual growth of the business has enabled us to grow both our revenue and team,” Chief Marketing Officer Davide Mattucci told the Business Journal.
“We believe consumers are becoming much more discerning with their discretionary spending, so offering versatile products that are much more timeless in their design has served us incredibly well,” Mattucci said.
More Selective Consumer Spending
5.11 Inc., with 146 employees as of March, told the Business Journal that consumers became more intentional with their spending in 2025.
The retailer said it has been improving store operations and investing in its professional consumer business to chase growth.
“Over the past year, we’ve redesigned and remerchandised a dozen locations, and most are delivering double-digit sales increases,” CEO Troy Brown said.
In addition, “the feedback we get from professionals operating in the most demanding environments in the world directly informs how we design and build product,” he said of the first responders the firm works with.
Charly USA, a manufacturer of licensed apparel for soccer teams and fans, said it also saw more selective purchasing behavior from consumers in 2025. The company jumped 57% to 4,725 employees companywide, including a team of 15 in Irvine.
“Customers became more intentional, focusing on value and versatility rather than impulse buying,” National Sales Director Matt Bickham said.
Local Changes
Tilly’s Inc., while down 4% to 687 employees in Orange County, reported its first positive comparable store sales result since the 2021 fiscal year in March (NYSE: TLYS).
“We have meaningfully improved our merchandise assortments and evolved our brand and digital marketing efforts to improve our customer engagement,” Chief Executive Nate Smith told analysts last month.
Though net sales for fiscal 2025 were off 2.8% to $553 million, Chief Financial Officer Mike Henry said that Tilly’s estimates, “for illustrative purposes,” that it could begin to generate profitability in fiscal 2026.
By July 1, Speedo North America will have relocated from its Cypress headquarters to a new home base in Long Beach. The 25,000-square-foot facility will house more than 130 employees, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Its owner, Pentland Brands, said the company is looking to support incoming activity from the Olympics as it moves closer to the Los Angeles area.
Stance Inc., in San Clemente, founded by a group of retail executives, including FutureStitch’s Taylor Shupe and Jeff Kearl, was acquired by Marquee Brands last year. The Business Journal estimates that Stance has 94 local employees. Stance has not provided data to the Business Journal for the past four years.
Research Director Desmond Celo contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: The total OC broker count at Kidder Mathews in Irvine is 29, representing a 15% year-over-year decline. Due to incorrect data carried over from the prior year, the Business Journal wrongly said in our April 13 Commercial Brokers list and accompanying analysis story that the firm lost nearly half of its OC brokers. The Business Journal regrets the error.
