In just over a decade, On evolved from a little-known Swiss footwear start-up, endorsed by a small but passionate community of runners and outdoor enthusiasts into a premium global sportswear brand that has caught the attention of the fashion industry.
But the route from a prototype cobbled together in a backyard in Switzerland to an NYSE-listed retail wunderkind was not always smooth.
Undeterred by their lack of footwear industry expertise,…