“As a brand, APAC [the Asia-Pacific region] is a huge growth market for us – the large majority of On stores that we’re opening globally will all be in Asia,” says On’s global head of product – lifestyle, Lucy Delacherois Day. Another store is set to open in Hong Kong in July. “[Forming] key partnerships with people in the region is a super-important way for us to build. In Seoul particularly, it feels like culture is literally being built here. It’s so young, modern and fresh.”
If the results of Friday’s launch event in Seoul were anything to go by, On’s strategy – both in its careful approach to collaborations and careful choice of partners – has been met with equally fervent enthusiasm from young Korean consumers.
Chris Pine’s ‘I Heart LA’ shirt for Poolman – and 4 more chaotic looks
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Held at PAF’s flagship store in the edgy, industrial Dasan-ro district, the event was akin to an Apple Store launch for sneakerheads. Dozens of dedicated fans began queuing up the night before to pick up a pair of the new Cloudmonster 2 shoes, and the crowd gathered outside gave a round of applause for the first lucky customer.
Since its founding in 2018, PAF has built a formidable reputation for experimental, research-heavy designs that view fashion through the lens of technical research as much as aesthetics – not unlike their counterparts at the On headquarters in Zurich.
While Lim has always prided himself on a customer-focused vision, he acknowledges that working with On was a massive undertaking on another scale entirely, and that the collaboration challenged him to think about global consumers beyond the typical PAF audience. “On’s audience is much bigger, so at that point I really focused on [ensuring] every generation and every gender could wear this,” he says. “Easy wear, in a good way.”
The re-envisioned Cloudmonster 2 trainer – which follows up on On’s original hit Cloudmonster, famous for its CloudTec foam cushioning – is designed to streamline the shoe soles for a softer feel when pounding the pavements. The X Breaker Jacket and Flow Running Pant, which complete the Current Form 1.0 capsule collection, also focus on being comfortable and lightweight, making for gender-neutral pieces that lean more towards streetwear than your typical athleisure set.
Naturally, there was a time when On wasn’t quite as big worldwide as it is now, let alone in Korea – but that underdog story continues to inform both On and PAF in their vision both as independent brands and collaborators.
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Meet Me&, Hong Kong’s new girl group inspired by K-pop – and Y2K aesthetics
“I hate the word athleisure really,” she said. “It’s not really a new trend any more. It’s a new uniform.
“The way people dress today has fundamentally changed from where it was pre-pandemic. We’ve moved into a space where historically what was either technical wear, outdoor wear, sportswear, is part of how we dress today. You will only see more of that, where technical pieces or performance pieces will be adopted purely for lifestyle wear.”
Wearers may never ever go and hike on a mountain, but they will happily don the best-quality outdoor wear possible, Day surmised.
Lim, ever-observant of the science and engineering of fashion, nods in agreement. “Simply speaking, the function [of clothing] itself is changing all the time. For example, jeans are also the very first form of technical pants, but we use them as casualwear every day,” he mused. “Some day I think On’s performance and technicality could be just like casualwear: very natural in our life.”
