Zendaya is back with On, and this time the campaign drops her into a stylish, kung fu-inspired chase.
The actor stars in a new action-driven film launching the second co-created Zendaya x On collection, designed with longtime collaborator Law Roach. Directed by Argentinian trio Pantera through SMUGGLER, the campaign borrows from the heightened movement, hand-to-hand combat and visual language of classic martial arts movies while keeping the focus squarely on the clothes.
Set in a dreamlike urban world, the film finds Zendaya pursued by a group of athletic women before the chase turns into a series of choreographed fight sequences. Dressed in a python-print look from the new collection, she moves through the action with the kind of ease that makes the line between performance and sportswear the whole point.
The spot culminates with Zendaya escaping from the top of a building in a leap of faith, helped by a timely distraction from Roach. Watch below:
“Our work with On has always been about pushing what sportswear can look and feel like,” Roach said. “For this collection we brought our personality and love of print to technical fabrics, designing pieces to make you feel good when you move in them.”
Pantera brings a fashion-forward eye to the material, balancing the campaign’s heightened action with a more polished, editorial sensibility. The result feels less like a traditional performance ad and more like a short action film built around movement.
“Cinematic storytelling has been a cornerstone of our partnership with Zendaya from the start,” said Alex Griffin, chief marketing officer at On. “We’ve always wanted to create work that goes beyond traditional advertising, building worlds that entertain, surprise and invite people in.”
He added that the latest chapter takes that approach “somewhere new” while keeping movement at the center of the story.
The film is supported by a stills campaign from photographer Cass Bird, capturing Zendaya in motion across the new collection with the same mix of attitude, ease and precision.
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On is also extending the campaign into retail, with immersive pop-ups planned for flagship locations in Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo and Chengdu.
The new work continues an increasingly cinematic creative run between Zendaya and On. Previous campaigns have placed her in an avant-garde sci-fi film directed by Nadia Lee Cohen and a whimsical stop-motion-inspired world from Spike Jonze.
With Pantera behind the camera this time, the latest chapter turns Zendaya into an action hero — without losing the fashion.
