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Hiking up a Swiss mountain to tell the On story

Client

On

Services

Aspire Active
Aspire Live

Brief

Use the On mountain hut to promote its new outdoor range and tell the brand story.

Beautifully designed for a rugged environment, the On mountain hut was the perfect way to talk about the brand’s new outdoor range, and the sustainable and innovative ethos of its founders. We took leading design and consumer media journalists up a Swiss mountain to tell the story. 

Back to the source

On was founded in 2010 by three friends, Olivier Bernhard, Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann.

On’s aim is to revolutionise running and still keep it fun. The Swiss brand has now grown to have offices worldwide and a range of innovative products from performance footwear to technical garments. 

In 2019, On decided to install a zero-waste and sensitively designed hut at 2,500 metres on Switzerland’s Engadine mountain. The hut was designed by Thilo Alex Brunner, On’s Head of Design. 

The choice of location was no random act. It is where the On brand was conceived when the three friends were hiking their favourite trail. And it’s the mountains where the founders still look for inspiration and ideas. 

Aspire used the opportunity to take journalists from leading design and media publications to visit the On mountain hut.  

The objective was to promote the brand’s entry into the outdoor footwear market and showcase the philosophy and commitment to good design that underpins the On brand. 

“The hut’s design is an impressive feat by Brunner, dispersing his talent from the brand’s shoe and apparel design to architectural project concept and execution.”

Monique Kawecki
Editor-in-Chief, Ala Champ Magazine

Inspiring natural design

Our strategy was simple. We would let the majestic natural surroundings tell the story.

As the On mountain hut is only accessible on foot, we took our media contacts on a memorable overnight trip. They could enjoy the scenery first-hand, test the new On outdoor range and experience the rugged beauty at day and night.

The Engadine mountain is home to the Piz Lunghin, also known as “The Roof of Europe”. The peak stands at the source of three major river systems: the Danube, the Rhine and the Po, which flow into the Black Sea, the North Sea and the Mediterranean respectively. 

The hut itself has a modern, natural aesthetic, and impeccable sustainable credentials – it is powered by solar panels and uses only collected rainwater or water from mountain streams.

The whole trip underlined On’s love of unique natural landscapes and its commitment to well-conceived design.

Elevating the On brand story

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media visits with Wallpaper*, HuffPost UK and Ala Champ

2,500m

the altitude of the On hut

0

the hut is zero waste and will leave zero trace behind

Living the core values

When you’re a challenger brand it’s even more important to make your identity and values stand-out from the competition.

The trip to the mountain hut really resonated with the design press, helping to cement On’s reputation for creativity, quality and innovative design thinking.

By letting the purity and beauty of the surroundings speak for On, we helped the brand make a big impression in its media coverage.  

Read the articles from the visit to On’s mountain hut:

Read the articles from the visit to On’s mountain hut: