On is a Swiss footwear brand that specializes in running shoes. The brand is only ten years old but it has already established itself as one of the premier running shoes on the market alongside brands such as Saucony, Asics and New Balance. The company was founded by 3 friends: former professional athlete Olivier Bernhard and his friends David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti.
Oliver Bernhard had been a three-time world duathlon champion and multiple Ironman winner and was determined to design a running shoe that would give him the perfect running experience. In doing so, he crossed paths with a Swiss engineer who shared the ambition and had an idea on how to design a completely new kind of running shoe. It was a match made in heaven and the set out to create the perfect symbiosis between science and functionality.
The main idea was to create a shoe that offered the user a “cushioned landing, firm take-off” and several prototypes where developed. It was at this point that Caspar Coppetti and David Allemann came aboard and the company was formally established the in Zürich in January 2010.
In February of the same year, the prototypes they had developed won the ISPO Brand New Award, one of the most important prizes for innovation in sport. Test runners compared running in ON shoes to “running on clouds”. Just a couple months later the first On hit the shelves.
