Interesting encounter
If what experts infer is true, 2022 will be Roger Federer’s last year of professional competition. The Swiss tennis legend was tired of injuries and decided to stop his adventure after Wimbledon 2022.
Federer is the 7th richest athlete in 2021. So talking about food and money with FedEx after he retires is redundant. With an influence that has long extended beyond the tennis world, there are dozens of million-dollar jobs waiting for Federer after he retires. However, Federer wants to do something meaningful. And he had ON.
ON is a sports equipment manufacturing company (mainly running shoes) founded in 2010 by three close friends Caspar Coppetti, Olivier Bernhard and David Allemann. In this group of friends, Bernhard was an athlete who had participated in many Iron Man tournaments. After retiring, Bernhard combined with two of his close friends to form ON.
Back to Federer. In fact, FedEx did not know the existence of the sports shoe brand produced by his hometown until he saw his wife wearing ON’s shoes. Next, he saw a few other people wearing ON shoes on the streets of Zurich. FedEx decided to try it on its feet.
The first feeling is comfort. Next, FedEx felt interested in the design language of the shoes. It aims for simplicity, sophistication, and convenience for users. ON’s products can both be used for sports practice and can also be worn on the feet as a fashion piece.
Initially, Federer only felt surprised and a little curious about the shoe brand, but had no intention of cooperating or participating in the ON board of directors. Then fate came.
Aiming for influence like the Jordan 1?
In his free time, Federer often wants to meet and become friends with other famous compatriots, forming a community of influential Swiss people in the world. One of those very normal exchanges brought Roger Federer to a reunion with the three founders of ON. They met, talked, became friends and felt like they had the same thoughts.
Caspar Coppetti, one of ON’s three co-founders, also admitted that he had no intention of inviting Federer to collaborate. “We want to develop with real strength and product quality, instead of borrowing the name of a star to shorten the journey. Even if Federer doesn’t participate, we are still friends,” Coppetti said.
But Federer feels ON’s determination and understands the meaning and goals that the three founders of ON put into the products they make. For FedEx, becoming a shareholder of ON is not simply about developing a shoe brand, but also indirectly serving the promotion of Swiss tourism – something Federer has done in the past 2 years as an ambassador. tourism.
Currently, ON has a whole collection called The Roger. This collection includes 6 shoe models that Roger Federer personally worked on ideas, color combinations, and technological research. The price for the most expensive pair in the collection (THE ROGER Center Court pair) is 189.9 USD. This price is a bit higher than some shoes in the same segment from Nike and Adidas but is still very attractive to buyers.
In sports history, basketball legend Michael Jordan was extremely successful with the Jordan 1 shoe model. From a pair of shoes that simply served the purpose of playing basketball, Jordan 1 has become a fashion icon for young people. throughout the past decade. Even the latest model called Jordan 1 Dior has a price equivalent to that of a… car. Perhaps this is also the goal that Roger Federer aimed for when deciding to put his heart and soul into ON.