This Designer Label Helped Make On Cool. Next? Its Own Shoe
Post Archive Faction knows its way around a sneaker. Its two-year partnership with On produced some of the best silhouettes available from the buzzy Swiss footwear brand, like the improbably clean Cloudventure Peak — its espresso variant specifically, which looked so good it made me want to buy On for the first time. (I say improbably because On’s signature “CloudTec” honeycomb sole is bulbous and a bit ugly, respectfully.)
TK
PAF has proven, release after release, that it can transform On into a covetable brand. Yet, for all the great On x PAF footwear available, the Korean streetwear brand had never actually made a running shoe all on their own. There’s been the odd derby here or boot there, but a true performance runner? Nada.
Its new Petal Trainer changes that — and happens to come as close to art as a sneaker can get. That’s high praise, considering my longtime aversion to athletic shoes. These trainers are clean clean, and PAF knows it; the product shots look otherworldly, with subtle details photographed from every angle.
There’s the understated Vibram sole, but the real star is petal-inspired slits in the Italian leather upper that folds in on itself like a flower in bloom. The slits don’t just look great; they allow for the laces to be laced out in any direction.
It’s odd to say a sneaker is “fun but sexy,” yet there’s no other way to describe this one. PAF has always folded inspiration from the natural world into its products, like rock-inspired shapes and colors for its final On collaborative release, but the petal detail here achieves something rare: elegance.
If there’s a way to top this kind of slam dunk for a debut sneaker, please let me know because it really doesn’t get better than this.
TK
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