One Step Short of the Grand Prix, a Dream of Shoes Being Born / ON "Shape of Dreams"

The problem

ON is a Swiss sports brand that made its name with running shoes. This time, the subject is the launch of an apparel and footwear collection that Zendaya herself and stylist Law Roach designed together for the first time.

The insight

There are countless ads that show finished clothes, but almost none that show the process of making them. Design doesn't get decided in one shot—it stretches, shrinks, changes shape over and over, and only then finally settles. This project turned that very trial and error into the content.

The idea

It starts in a white room, where Zendaya's thoughts take shape before our eyes. The structure shows the whole process—silhouettes stretching and shrinking, materials changing texture—until they become a final piece of clothing. A big feature is that instead of relying on CG, it's built using forced perspective and practical special effects. Law Roach also appears in the film, playing the role of refining the design. A choreographer was brought in too, so what fills the screen feels less like dance and more like "geometry as movement."

What happened

It won a Gold Lion for Direction in the Film Craft category at Cannes Lions 2026, plus Silver Lions for Editing and Original Music. The jury president said they watched it over and over again—that's how highly it was rated—but the Grand Prix went, by a narrow margin, to Coinbase's "Your Way Out."

Afterthought

The decision to make the process itself the star, instead of the finished product, is strong on its own. There's also the surprise that a "function-first" brand like ON could go this far and make such a poetic piece of film. It didn't win the Grand Prix, but when the judges say they watched it over and over, that's already not a loss.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Gold 2026

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