Swiss Tennis Star Roger Federer Launches His First Sneakers - And They Are Vegan

Tennis champion Roger Federer and Swiss footwear brand On have announced the launch of their first tennis-inspired sneaker, The Roger.

Federer invested in the sports brand in November 2019. For the last few months, he has worked alongside the design team to create The Roger Centre Court 0-Series. The team wanted to reinvent the classic tennis trainers combining minimalism with the shoes’ technical performance. 

The company describes the sneakers as “Swiss engineering meets the Swiss maestro.”

The shoes feature ClouTec sole - the On’s award-winning sole designed to deliver “unrivalled cushioning” and the feeling of lightness. The Speedboard, which is hidden in the sole, returns energy from the impact to make “every step feel lighter”, and the soft interior delivers comfort and proper ventilation.

The sneakers were made with vegan leather to reduce their environmental footprint. 

The 0-Series of The Roger Centre Court edition is limited to 1,000 pairs. Each pair is individually numbered and features a personal message from Roger Federer.

Commenting on the launch, Roger Federer said in a statement: “The minimalist design and easy comfort of On’s shoes had me hooked years ago. I wanted to infuse the tennis sneaker with the same lightness, comfort and agility for every day.

“I love working with the On team, using my knowledge of performance footwear and personal interest in fashion to contribute to product development. I’m proud to be a part of the creation of The Roger, which is the most comfortable tennis-inspired sneaker you will ever wear.”

On co-founder David Allemann, said: “We love to explore and aspire to protect the incredible natural beauty that surrounds us, hence this new generation of tennis-inspired sneakers has been created with sustainability in mind. “The Roger is crafted from vegan leather and has been designed for lightness to reduce material consumption. The result is a significantly smaller environmental footprint for this tennis-inspired sneaker. The vegan leather has approximately 30 percent of the footprint of animal leather.”

 “We’re super excited to be releasing The Roger Centre Court today, combining On’s years of performance design with our new teammate’s contribution has produced an awesome shoe – and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it,” he added.

Federer's first designed trainers launch coincides with the first time the tennis star won Wimbledon 17 years ago.