Zendaya Says She Discovered On's Trendy Sneakers Filming 'Challengers'—and Now She Wears Them Nonstop
She loved a $159 style so much, she initiated a partnership with the brand.
Now that Challengers is out in theaters, Zendaya is finished with her avant-tennis fashion-filled press tour and trading her white Louboutin stilettos for sneakers. Specifically, On sneakers.
The actress was introduced to the athletic-wear brand On by the film's costume designer Jonathan Anderson, who's collaborated with the brand through his work as Loewe creative director, and has been wearing their sneakers ever since. (She even paired her On sneakers with an Alaïa dress for one of her many press tour looks.) In fact, she loved On's sneakers so much, that she initiated a multi-year creative partnership with the Swiss brand.
Zendaya revealed on Thursday, June 6, that she is the face of On.
Zendaya will eventually co-design clothing for the brand.
In addition to ad campaigns and content, Zendaya and On will soon release a capsule collection of items the actress designed herself, she told Vogue. And she's not just in it for her favorite shoes. "People don’t really know On as well for their clothes,” Zendaya said to the magazine in an interview today. “I’m excited to help.”
She’s especially excited about the brand’s sustainable technology: “They have dyes that are made by sucking pollution out of the sky, and shoes made from castor beans, which can fully decompose. I don’t want to be just making stuff for the sake of it and adding to what’s already out there—I like that they’re using all the science available to be sustainable.”
Even though Z will be designing clothes for the athletic-wear brand, she admits that exercise is a bit outside of her wheelhouse. "It’s a joke amongst my friends and family, but I don’t have a workout practice, per se,” she says. “I’m not the best at keeping up with it.”
Zendaya mostly wore Louboutin heels during her Challengers press tour, but she would occasionally slide into sneakers between interviews.
Athletic-wear is a big pivot for Zendaya, who has mostly worked in the world of high fashion and luxury brands. The actress currently has a partnership with Louis Vuitton and was previously an ambassador for Valentino (from 2020 through 2023). Zendaya is On's first non-athlete celebrity partner, but can play double duty for the brand with her existing fashion affiliation and new sports affiliation as the face of tennis in pop culture.
As far as trendy workout sneakers go, On is gaining traction among A-listers. Zendaya joins a list of fans including Jessica Alba and Olivia Wilde.
