On June 7, the Spanish athlete Marta García won a bronze medal at the European Athletics Championships, held in Rome. Added to that triumph was another great achievement by breaking the Spanish record in the 5,000 meter event. In the photograph published by the sports press, the exultant athlete is seen wearing a pair of sneakers. Onthe Swiss brand specialized in sneakers running which has gone from being practically unknown to the majority public to becoming one of the great discoveries of the season. García is also part of the brand’s athletics team, On Athletics Club Europe (OAC), created in 2022 and made up of young athletes who serve as the best brand ambassadors.
Carlos Jiménez, journalist of the magazine Runner’s World and expert in running shoes, explains that from On “they have looked for young athletes from all over the world who were good in their discipline, but not well known in their country, they have given them the tools they needed to help them achieve their goals and even breaking national records. With this, what they have done is that the name of those athletes was linked to the brand and, therefore, the On logo is seen everywhere.” In addition to the example of Marta García, Jiménez highlights the case of the Spanish “Mario García Romo, who is currently the Spanish record holder for the mile” or “at an international level, Hellen Obiri, twice winner of the Boston Marathon in the last two years. For example, in this last case, this runner in this year’s competition was wearing prototype shoes with a very striking design and among those of us who are very geeks “There was a lot of speculation about them in this world because they are competition shoes that are not for sale right now.” Once it has managed to maintain the expectation for its designs in the sports field, the brand has implemented several strategies aimed at entering fully into the field of fashion. On the one hand, its collaboration with Loewe and, on the other, the signing of Zendaya as an ambassador for the brand. But who is behind On and how is this firm managing to stand out in a highly saturated market?
A patented technology to walk on the clouds
The brand started in 2010 in the heart of the Swiss Alps. In that enclave where the sky seems to merge with the top of the high mountain peaks that dot the highest mountain range in Western Europe, Olivier Bernhard, a retired Ironman athlete, was working on creating a running shoe that had everything the models already on the market did not have. As the brand explains on its website, Bernhard “started experimenting with pieces of hose, gluing them to the sole of a prototype” with the aim of finding the ideal cushioning.
Shortly after creating the brand, two friends joined as partners of the firm, the economist and sports marketing expert Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann, currently the most visible face of the company. Little by little, that rough and primary model from the beginning was perfected until the desired cushioning was achieved thanks to the perfect symbiosis between technology and Swiss engineering. The aim was to enhance performance and make the foot feel soft when running, as if you were walking on clouds. The patented technology (award-winning since its inception) was named CloudTec and very soon word of mouth among those who tried the footwear multiplied sales.
A new stage since the entry of Roger Federer into the firm
Focused on the running At a professional level, as they have grown they have diversified with new categories, always linked to sport. In 2019 the company faced its first big change with the entry into On of the most famous Swiss of our time, tennis player Roger Federer. The 20-time Grand Slam title winner was a regular client of the brand, which is why he did not need to think much when the three founders proposed investing in the firm. The percentage with which the tennis player participated was not revealed, although some specialized media speculated with 3%. Be that as it may, Federer’s entry brought with it a substantial change with the creation of a specific tennis line, created in collaboration with who for many is the best tennis player of all time. A guaranteed success. “The brand has grown a lot since it signed tennis player Roger Federer, who is also one of the shareholders. And the same thing happens with athletes. That the tennis player works with On has helped a lot to make it a well-known brand beyond Switzerland and to completely get closer to other tennis players,” says Jiménez. And he adds that “just four years ago the firm was known within Switzerland and we saw its sneakers a lot on the feet of tourists from northern Europe, but things have changed drastically from 2021-2022 onwards.”
In addition to having Federer, the company has sought to strengthen ties with the luxury fashion industry, without leaving aside its sporting spirit. Thus, in 2022 he launched his first collaboration with Loewe. The alliance worked so well that it is now in its fifth capsule and a few weeks ago they unveiled their latest joint work to date, with technical clothing, outerwear and footwear for men and women. In the campaign, the models are the athletes of the On team, among whom are the Spanish Mario García Romo. In a context in which sports giants like Nike face a period of stagnation with very limited growth, On began the year 2024 breaking sales records and exceeding 500 million Swiss francs in a single quarter for the first time in its history (about 516 million euros), as revealed by the brand last May in its performance report corresponding to the first quarter of the year. And all this without taking into account the Zendaya effect.
The Zendaya effect
At the beginning of June the news of the signing of Zendaya as brand ambassador. Having the most coveted actress of the moment reflects the company’s ambitious vision of growth, focused on making itself known to the masses. Only by announcing the collaboration with the actress will they have connected with tens of thousands of potential clients who were previously unaware of On’s existence. In addition to providing her image, Zendaya will co-produce the Swiss house’s campaigns and collaborate in the creation of collections. The relationship between actress and brand was forged last April, when On designed a look tailored for the American during the intense promotion of the film Challengersin which Zendaya plays a tennis player.
Federer and Zendaya are not the only well-known faces within On. In April, British singer FKA Twigs was chosen to create a collection of workout clothing and footwear that will be unveiled in August with the artist starring in the campaign. As I mentioned Business of Fashion In an article about the brand, the Swiss brand has been able to capitalize on the boom in sportswear, that is, the triumph of typically sports clothing for everyday life. The close link between fashion and sport has been strengthened in recent years and in all areas: from basketball to football, through tennis, and more recently, Formula 1. On the line running and tennis, a clothing category is added fitness and gym, outdoor and mountain and lifestyle and travel, all with clothing, footwear and accessories. That line of lifestyle It is very significant since it shows On’s intention to appeal to other audiences. At the moment, she is achieving it and with the Olympic Games just around the corner, his visibility will undoubtedly be even greater.
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