By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 6, 2020
Roger Federer unveiled his new shoe, "The Roger", produced by Swiss sneaker brand On, which is co-owned by the Grand Slam king.
Photo credit: @on_running
Roger Federer is playing On stepping into a new namesake shoe.
Federer unveiled his new shoe, aptly named "The Roger", in a news conference today. Federer's signature shoe, which is devoid of his "RF" logo, is produced by Swiss sneaker brand On.
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The 38-year-old Swiss owns a partial stake of On.
The pristine all-ivory shoe, which recalls adidas' classic Stan Smith model, is inspired by tennis, but not a tennis shoe the Swiss stylist announced today.
“I’m proud to be a part of the creation of The Roger," Federer said. "It's the most comfortable tennis-inspired sneaker you will ever wear.”
Bearing the tagline "Swiss Engineering Meets the Swiss Maestro", the shoe bears a small Swiss flag near the heel with its name "The Roger" embedded in gold type above the flag.
Instead, Federer said he wanted to create a light lifestyle shoe. The eight-time Wimbledon champion aims to eventually play in On shoes, but says "the creation process is long" for tennis shoes.
"The Roger Center Court is very inspired by tennis," Federer said. "But no, these are not shoes for playing. I wanted only lifestyle sneakers, very comfortable and ultra light.
"To design a model suitable for tennis, absolutely perfect and strong enough to be able to hold five sets on a court, the creation process is long and we have not yet had time to work on this product. But I am sure that one day I will play with On."
Photo credit: @on_running
The 20-time Grand Slam king made a substantial investment in Swiss running shoe manufacturer On last fall.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but On owners call it “a very meaningful investment.”
The Swiss maestro will be much more than an investor. Federer will be a public face for the brand and a contributing designer.
This is the first of Federer-designed On products scheduled for released. Brand building and global marketing will also be among Federer's responsibilities as he aims to connect fans across cultures.
“I think I can motivate employees from a leadership perspective too, on how to stay humble but dream big,” Federer told The New York Times.
In 2018, Federer signed a 10-year reported $300 million deal with Uniqlo after his Nike contract expired.
The Uniqlo pact nearly quadrupled the reported $7.5 million annually Nike was paying Federer.
Federer has worn Nike shoes throughout his career winning all 20 of his Grand Slam titles wearing the Swoosh brand.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion revealed he owns more than 250 pairs of shoes, including several of his old match shoes, and confessed a covert hobby.
Federer said he likes to look at people’s shoes to see what they’re wearing.
That’s how he first became aware of the Zurich-based brand founded in 2010.
“They were impossible to ignore because everyone had them, people on the street, my friends, my wife,” Federer said. “At first, I thought that they were a little strange to look at, then I realized I actually really liked the design.”
The father of four also likes the idea of supporting a home brand—he’s building a home 25 minutes from On company headquarters.
“We like it when little Swiss guys make a move on the big international stage,” Federer said.