On x Post Archive Faction (PAF)’s collab just launched in Seoul: the Swiss sportswear giant joined forces with the hip Korean fashion brand to create Current Form 1.0 – and sneakerheads are buzzing

May 6 , 2024

Post Archive Faction co-founder Dongjoon Lim just collaborated with On’s global head of product – lifestyle, Lucy Delacherois Day, on a new line of athleisure and footwear, Current Form 1.0. Photos: Handout

Move over, Adidas Samba, and Nike and Salomon footwear – Swiss sportswear giant On, backed by tennis star Roger Federer, and Seoul fashion sensation PAF are making strides with their new Cloudmonster 2

Dozens of dedicated customers queued up the night before last weekend’s launch to buy a pair, while a new store will open in Hong Kong in July – but is athleisure just a passing trend?

While much of the fashion world has been debating between buying Adidas Samba or Salomon sporty footwear, Swiss sportswear giant On has stealthily and steadily been building its own trainer empire on its own terms, having recently opened its first store in Paris ahead of the Olympics this summer, where it will also outfit the Swiss national team.

Far younger than major market competitors like Adidas and Nike, On – founded in 2010 – expanded rapidly after entering its second decade of business. The company is now backed by fellow Swiss icon Roger Federer, recently announced a new athleisure line with British singer FKA Twigs and, this past weekend, landed in Seoul to launch its first-ever collaboration with hip Korean fashion brand Post Archive Faction (PAF), Current Form 1.0 – a sure-footed next step on its way to global domination.

The new On x Post Archive Faction (PAF) collaborative Cloudmonster 2 footwear and athleisure collection, Current Form 1.0. Photo: @on/Instagram

“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.”

Hip Seoul-based brand Post Archive Faction (PAF) previously unveiled the 6.0 Post Human Capsule in April. Photo: @postarchivefaction/Instagram

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.

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.

On x Post Archive Faction (PAF) Cloudmonster 2 trainers. Photo: @postarchivefaction/Instagram

On might owe a lot of that success to PAF co-founder and creative director Dongjoon Lim, who many in the crowd on Friday were familiar with as a pivotal figure in the Seoul streetwear scene and a pioneer who helped put Korean fashion on the global radar.

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.

The new On x Post Archive Faction (PAF) collaborative Cloudmonster 2 footwear. Photo: @on/Instagram

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.”