If On Shoes Are for Everyone, Are They Still Ons?

On, the Swiss running-shoe company, is moving fast.

Founded in 2010, when it made its first prototype shoe with garden hose, On now has annual sales of $3.8 billion and sells gear that can be worn from head to toe. In the last five years, it started trading on the New York Stock Exchange, its work force more than tripled and, in addition to the Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer, it added Zendaya, FKA twigs and Burna Boy to its roster of spokespeople.

In gyms, in malls, in airports and on sidewalks around the world, the shoes — with a sole that looks from the side like a happy kindergartner’s gaptoothed smile — are hard to miss. Hellen Obiri won the most recent New York City Marathon wearing a pair of Ons — and expects to don a new prototype on Sunday for the London Marathon. Middle-aged dads, with more modest athletic aspirations, fill their closets with the sneakers as well.

But having made the leap from start-up to established name in performance footwear, the company finds itself at a critical juncture: How does it stay true to its roots as a brand for serious athletes while keeping up its breakneck growth, which it can do only by appealing to the mainstream?

This is a dilemma other companies have botched. In pursuit of growth, brands start introducing new products, selling their wares in mass-market stores and losing sight of what their devoted niche followings want, analysts say. One risk is that they start holding back on investing in new technology.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/business/on-running-shoes-expansion.html