What might be considered woo-woo in some cities is often commonplace in Los Angeles. People talk about “energy”, they openly assess whether the “vibes feel aligned”. A business meeting might begin with a reflective moment for intention-setting – or a meditation to help everyone “ground”.
But while none of these things are rare in LA, during a recent Friday evening meeting at the loft-like headquarters of Walk Good – a nonprofit community wellness organisation led by brother and sister duo Etienne and Ivy Coco Maurice – they suddenly feel anything but mundane. For one, a handful of marketing execs from the Swiss athletic brand On have just flown in for the occasion; and two, Zendaya is here, sitting cross-legged and shoeless on a plush white rug, her long waves swept into a casual bun, not a glimmer of make-up on her face.
It’s a scene that can only be described as surreal – especially when Etienne starts the meeting by instructing us to sit in a circle, stick out our tongues, and sigh as loudly as we can. Even Zendaya seems a little surprised. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” she tells me afterwards. “But what an icebreaker – I was filled with anxiety before I arrived.”
The anxiety, I find out later, is ongoing – and part of the reason we’re here. Officially, our agenda involves discussing the actor’s new multi-year partnership with On: they’ve planned an intimate brainstorming session with the duo from Walk Good (longtime partners of On), the three brand execs, and the actress herself. And while the Zendaya-On partnership is still in its infancy, it seems worth noting that, unlike so many other celeb-fashion collaborations, it happened organically. The actress was introduced to the brand by Challengers costume designer Jonathan Anderson and quickly became a fan, and she’s been wearing the shoes and clothing on the red carpet and elsewhere ever since. (In fact, it was Zendaya who initiated the partnership, not the brand.)
So far, their nascent collab has yielded a just-released kick-off campaign film, called Dream Together, directed by choreographer C Prinz, and there’s been a flurry of creative meetings for the upcoming release of a capsule of Zendaya-designed items. Other than that, they’re still figuring it out. Social impact is a big part of On’s mission to “ignite the human spirit through movement”, so Walk Good is playing host in order to provide insight on how it all works. For Zendaya, both of those things are huge: she loves the nonprofit’s goal of helping Black and Brown people connect with their community through arts and health, and On’s already well-established social impact initiatives were a major part of the partnership’s appeal.
“As I get older, I want to be more intentional about the things that I choose to do with my time and the brands I work with,” the 27-year-old tells me in the meditation room after the brainstorm (which, yes, included some time reserved for intention-setting), adjourns. “I’ve been approached by similar sports-related brands and, no slight to any of them, there’s just this feeling of openness and care [with On]. They’re already doing the work – I don’t have to tell them to make it more inclusive or more meaningful – they are already doing that. It inspires me; I want to support what they’re doing.”
In other words, the vibes were aligned – but the promise of designing some clothes seemed equally enticing. Despite (or is it because of?) the popularity of the sneakers, “People don’t really know On as well for their clothes,” Zendaya says. “I’m excited to help.” She’s especially drawn to the brand’s sustainable technology. “They have dyes that are made by sucking pollution out of the sky, and shoes made from castor beans, which can fully decompose,” she says, with no small amount of excitement. “I don’t want to be just making stuff for the sake of it and adding to what’s already out there – I like that they’re using all the science available to be sustainable.”
Still, she freely admits that it’s somewhat ironic for her to be partnering with an athletic-wear brand. Despite her hard-won athletic prowess in Challengers, she doesn’t regularly exercise a lot. “It’s a joke amongst my friends and family, but I don’t have a workout practice, per se,” she confides. “I’m not the best at keeping up with it.”
That’s something she’s actively trying to fix, especially after realising the profound impact that movement can have on her mental health – particularly her struggles with anxiety.
“I think sometimes people assume that because of what they see of me, maybe I’m a certain way,” she says. “But when I’m not working, I tend to isolate myself. My therapist, family, and friends will tell me, ‘You need to get up and get out,’ and I never want to – but when I make myself do it, I realise it’s actually kind of nice. I’m less anxious. I have to really be intentional about taking care of myself. I’m learning to be more responsible for myself and for my own body and looking after it all.”
While walking her dog saves her from completely holing up inside when she’s not on the clock, Zendaya has found that tending to her mental health in general is a work in progress. “Sometimes it’s just getting out of bed, telling myself, ‘We’re facing the day, we’re taking a shower, we’re putting on real clothes, we’re seeing some sunshine.’ I try to set little challenges for myself.”
Ultimately, that’s part of the sentiment she hopes to convey with the work she’ll be doing with On: she wants people to know that life isn’t always easy or perfect – no matter who you are or how glamorous your life might seem from the outside – but community and movement can help. “It can look different for different people, but everybody needs to have people to reach out to and talk to and feel supported by,” she says. “I think for most people, it’s not always easy to go on a several-mile run every morning; sometimes it’s hard to do even the little things to take care of yourself. It helps to feel like you’re not the only one.”
Looking around the meditation room, Zendaya sighs. “Listen – I’m just learning the importance of breathwork and meditation now. I’ve been living on a set and working since I was a kid, but it’s never been something that was accessible to me. I was just going, going, going, going, going. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for a very long time.”
