On

On was founded in 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland, by former professional triathlete Olivier Bernhard and his friends David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti. Bernhard's obsession was to create a running shoe that delivered the perfect sensation: a soft landing followed by an explosive take-off. After experimenting with cut-up garden hoses glued to the soles of prototype shoes, the team landed on the CloudTec® sole — a system of hollow pods that compress horizontally and vertically upon impact, locking into a firm platform for propulsive push-off. This "running on clouds" sensation became the brand's defining promise.

The brand achieved rapid success in its home market of Switzerland before expanding globally. By 2019, On had attracted investment from tennis legend Roger Federer, who became a co-owner and active collaborator, designing the lifestyle-oriented The Roger series of tennis-inspired sneakers. On went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 with a valuation exceeding $10 billion, reflecting its meteoric rise. Its shoes — recognizable by their distinctive CloudTec pods and minimalist Swiss design — have become ubiquitous in urban environments from Zurich to New York.

On continues to push performance innovation with the Cloudboom and Cloudstratus racing lines, elite athlete partnerships in triathlon and track, and a growing apparel collection. Its sustainability program, Cyclon, offers a fully recyclable subscription shoe made from castor beans, reflecting the brand's Swiss-rooted commitment to precision engineering and environmental consciousness. On represents a rare success story: a performance-first brand that organically crossed into lifestyle without compromising its athletic DNA.