On Trainers Were All Over Challengers — Here’s How I Style Them

Recently while on the London tube, I noticed a woman with impeccable street style and trainers by On. While it wasn’t the first time I’d seen the athletic shoes, unmissable thanks to their unique cushioned soles and reflective logos, out — in fact, by then, I’d seen On trainers all over London’s streets for months — it was a moment that, for me, solidified their hype status. Now after the release of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, where the athletes' On trainers were unmissable throughout the film, the brand has reached peak relevance.

Originally from the Swiss Alps, with its cleverly simple name, On specialises in performance sportswear for activities like running, training and hiking. Though the brand has been around since 2010, trends like tenniscore and gorpcore have recently catapulted On and its popular styles like Cloudmonster, Cloudwander and Cloud 5 into mainstream popularity. 

“Sportswear has become the modern uniform,” On general manager Bianca Pestalozzi tells Refinery29. “We’ve embraced this evolution, bridging the gap between performance and lifestyle.”

If this evolution sounds familiar, it’s the same one that made household names out of performance brands like The North Face, Patagonia, Hoka and Salomon, the latter being the orthopaedic hiking trainers that captured a surging generation of gorpheads (and even the likes of Bella Hadid and Rihanna). According to resale marketplace StockX, which prices products based on market demand, trades for On trainers increased by 695% from 2022 to 2023. With such exponential growth, and two Loewe x On collaborations under the belt, On has successfully carved out their space in fashion and lifestyle spaces.

While my backhand isn't good enough to take me nor my On trainers to the US Open, I'm all about styling them for everyday life. So if, like me, you’re also intrigued by the hype, scroll on to see how you can style the trend for spring and summer. 

The first pair I test-drove was the Cloud 5 Waterproof in a light grey-and-white colourway. I normally wouldn’t choose trainers in this hue, but after seeing grey all over the runways, I decided to test its styling potential with my go-to casual trousers: parachute pants. As these bottoms are practically made for gorpcore girlies, this outfit came together really naturally. I styled them with an oversized shirt and leather motorcycle jacket on a rainy day, and felt both cool and untouchable. Puddles? NBD.

Next, with the same Cloud 5s, I went for a bolder look with leopard print jeans, a crew neck sweater, a motorcycle jacket and a red handbag (I love how designers favoured red accessories during the most recent fashion month, so this was a perfect opportunity to flex mine). As this was my first attempt at dressing up On trainers, I realised it would require more thought than it would to dress up my other trainers. In the end, I was satisfied with the final look, which I’d describe as “city girl on the go.” 

The second pair I tried was the Cloudwander Waterproof, On’s multifunctional hiking shoe, in a military green. These feel more similar to Salomons because of their chunkiness and tonal colourway, as well as their versatility with dresses and skirts. Here, I styled it with a maxi skirt, a tee and a vintage overshirt, adding chunky silver jewellery for extra playfulness. Have I mentioned that I love the waterproof feature? The showers were no threat to my comfort in this fit.

Even I surprised myself with this pairing — who would have thought that a bodycon midi dress, hiking trainers and black socks (!) could actually work together? What I like most about the Cloudwander is that, while it’s clear they are a utility shoe, they are understated enough that it isn’t in-your-face gorpcore. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, either.

My final verdict? On trainers are definitely as comfortable as they claim to be, but they’re also harder to style than your less-technical trainers (see: Adidas Sambas), unless you tend to lean more toward the gorpcore aesthetic. That said, if quality, function, and lifespan are shoe qualities you care about, it could be worth it for you to get on the On train.