On: A New Hope for the running community.
The running and clothing brand On has opened its doors to their second London store set in the heart of the city. After the previous success of their Regents Street flagship store, the brand has just established their new store in the centre of Spitalfields marketplace.
To mark the occasion, running enthusiasts, journalists, photographers and fitness influencers were invited to check out the store. I was one of the lucky ones to receive the call up and I had to head down to see what it was all about.
Upon my arrival, I was immediately blinded by bright fluorescent orange lights that bounced off the pavement to greet me. It was like a spaceship had landed from a galaxy far-far away. A DJ was mixing tunes in the window whilst wedged between mannequins and a display cabinet of shoes. A crowd of guests were drawn to the star ship like a moth to a flame.
Once inside, my senses were hit with a sucker-punch of style, simplicity and a bonkers vibrant colour scheme that just works. It is everything that a young, coffee loving, cap wearing, hobby jogging, hipster looks for when choosing a brand to wear. Their stylish sleek designs make them more than just a running brand but arguably a street wear brand too.
The store isn’t your standard sports shop. The aisles aren’t littered with hundreds of boxes, that climb their way to the ceilings. You’re not overwhelmed by the choice of shoes. Everything is curated and hung with such precision that you could be in an art gallery. Let’s not forget the price tags are very similar to what you’d find at an art gallery too.
Dropping off our bags, we were ushered quickly outside for the group run that can only be described as one of the craziest runs through the streets of London that I’ve ever experienced. The group run reminded me of a hipster version of Walt Disney’s Fantasia with the run leaders wielding bright orange lightsabres as we stomped along to the pulsating beat of Kanye’s hip-hop anthem Stronger.
Returning to the store, we indulged in a variety of stylish fresh bao buns, that were cooked somewhere upstairs in the store. The DJ played funky music throughout the night as us runners mingled and marvelled at the latest shoes on sale.
One new design that felt at home on their spacecraft was the aptly named ‘hybrid explorer,’ a digital table that resembled a control panel. Placing the shoe on the table you are given an in-depth snapshot of all the tech specs of the shoe on the display screen. This panel breathes fresh air to the shopping experience and makes it a much more entertaining endeavour.
On Running is slowly becoming one of the most exciting brands in the game. Their technical innovations mixed with their cool and contemporary designs shows promise of being a serious competitor with the likes of Nike and Adidas.
At a time where it seems like the track and field scene is slowly dying there is a glimmer of hope for all, where a brand genuinely wants to connect with its community on a grassroots level. Perhaps we’ve finally found our New Hope that will eventually push the sport forward. Only time will tell.
