On is officially stepping into football, and it’s doing so with one of the biggest names in the game. Kylian Mbappé will lead the Swiss brand’s push into the sport, working directly with its product and engineering teams to develop future football boots and apparel, and will also serve as a global ambassador. Joining him is Thierry Henry, who has quietly helped shape On’s football strategy over the past year and now takes on the role of Director of Football. FC Barcelona and Switzerland midfielder Sydney Schertenleib also joins the project, contributing to product testing with a focus on the women’s game.
The brand says it will apply technologies including its LightSpray™ manufacturing process to football footwear, with product development guided by feedback from elite players. The launch campaign, photographed by incomparable Juergen Teller inside On Labs in Zurich, brings together Mbappé, Henry and Schertenleib as On officially enters football.
After spending the past decade turning itself from a niche running brand into one of performance footwear’s biggest success stories, On is finally taking on football. It’s the biggest sporting stage in the world, and arguably the toughest market to break into, but if you’re going to make an entrance, showing up with Kylian Mbappé and Thierry Henry is a pretty strong way to do it.
