Kylian Mbappé joins On as brand expands into football market

French football star Kylian Mbappé has ended a 20-year partnership with Nike to join the Swiss sportswear brand On as a global brand ambassador. This move marks a significant expansion for On as it seeks to enter the football market, supported by the appointment of Thierry Henry as football business director. On aims to leverage its automated ‘LightSpray’ manufacturing technology, which can produce a shoe upper in minutes, to accelerate production and product development cycles.

While On reports strong growth, including a 13.5% increase in quarterly sales and significant expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, Nike is facing a period of restructuring. Nike reported a 4% decline in quarterly revenue, attributed partly to weakness in China and the Jordan Brand. In response, Nike has launched the ‘Pace’ program, a restructuring plan aimed at reorganizing its supply chain and reducing roles to achieve cumulative savings of approximately $2.5 billion by 2031.