It’s an eventful time for tennis icon Roger Federer. The man known as the “Swiss Maestro” is returning to the world of professional tennis after a surgery-induced 13-month hiatus, and he’ll be taking the court in THE ROGER Pro, his first-ever signature competition tennis shoe from On. Though Federer first invested in On back in 2019, THE ROGER Pro is indeed his inaugural piece of on-court footwear from the brand — previously he wore sneakers from Nike (his former sponsor) during matches while On, an outfit mostly known for its high-performance running footwear, worked on his signature tennis silhouette.
Key to THE ROGER Pro is its reinterpretation of On’s signature running technology. Where running is almost entirely vertical movements, tennis requires a vast array of side-to-side steps, meaning that a signature tennis shoe needs the cushioning of a running shoe but the stability of a cross trainer. THE ROGER Pro aims to meet this with a soft foam midsole for comfort, a midfoot cage that aids with lockdown and a rounded outsole for smooth transitions. From a looks standpoint, it boasts a simple white and blue color scheme with bold On branding on the lateral and medial quarters plus the tongue and forefoot. There’s also a “R” logo on the lace keeper and a small Swiss flag on the lateral heel.
All other tech aside, THE ROGER Pro’s signature piece is the Speedboard® tech ensconced between its midsole and upper. Borrowed from On’s running shoes and tweaked to meet the needs of tennis, this carbon fiber plate serves up responsiveness and boasts energy return, enabling Federer to stay snappy and agile during extended rallies. “Tennis players put up to three times their body weight through a shoe during lateral movements,” says Olivier Bernhard, On’s co-founder and Innovation Leader. “These high forces demand extreme agility and stability. That’s what we worked with Roger to create. After so many years at the top of world sport, Roger has his sense of what performance should feel like completely dialed in. He can sense every small adjustment. [His] insight guided the whole project.”
As of now, THE ROGER Pro is a one-off model designed exclusively for Federer’s on-court use and debuted during his Qatar Open match against Britain’s Daniel Evans. However, On and Federer will likely release tennis-centric products in the coming months.
Swiss luxury watchmaker Zenith enlists artist Felipe Pantone to design its latest DEFY 21 timepiece, marking the first time in its history the brand has worked alongside a contemporary artist.
Revered for his colorful and dynamic artworks, the Argentinian-Spanish artist steps into unknown territory as he translates his design language onto watches for the first time also. With Zenith spearheading horological innovations with its 1/100th of a second El Primero 21 precision movement and Pantone’s unique artistic reverence, the two collaborate on Zenith’s most advanced chronograph in its catalog.
Speaking on his first-ever watch collaboration, Felipe Pantone said “The concept was to transform this spectacular piece of watchmaking into a wearable work of kinetic art, where time and light converge into a single object. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the result.”
To accommodate Pantone’s bold vision into a timepiece, Zenith pushed the boundaries of watchmaking innovation as the first to use 3D PVD with silicon particles as surface treatment during development. This creates a spectrum of perfectly transitioning colors on its multi-colored bridges that reflect the gradient of metallic rainbow tones, reimagining the contemporary artists’ signature bold aesthetic. Despite making it as standardized as possible, due to the complexity of the process, each piece takes on a slight difference in color making every watch unique.
The limited-edition timepiece possesses distorted hour and minute hands resembling lightning bolts which also apply the rainbow gradient. Pantone’s signature moiré optical effect is channeled as a miniaturized version on the watch’s top bridges and its dial, achieved by using intricate laser-engraving and lacquering techniques.
To round off the visually striking design, the watch is supplied with two sets of straps — the primary adopts a black textured warped grid motif but for those inclined to a bolder look, the iridescent alternative is able to switch from dark gray to a lenticular glow depending on the angle of the light. The watch arrives in an exclusive box designed by Pantone emblazoned with his signature design cues and mimics that of a hardcover book, attached with a signed certificate.
The DEFY 21 Felipe Pantone is limited to 100 units and will be available to purchase from Zenith Boutiques globally on March 15. You can check out more information on the upcoming release and other models through the Zenith website.
After becoming the official formalwear partner of Arsenal Football Club back in 2019, Los Angeles-based streetwear label 424 now teams up with the English Premier League side and adidas (XETRA:ADS.DE +2.76%) for a collection on the more casual side.
Taking 424’s bevy of streetwear expertise and combining it with the performance product of adidas, the trio’s collaboration comprises a selection of apparel, footwear and accessories. Boasting pops of red, black and “Carbon Grey”, the collection not only represents the colors of the club, but is also a nod to the architecture of its Emirates Stadium home.
Realised in the form of a training jersey, oversized poncho, hoodie, footwear and a host of co-branded accessories, the collection is showcased in a lookbook featuring current Arsenal stars Alexandre Lacazette, Willian and Gabriel.
Set to go on sale on March 16, the full 424 x adidas x Arsenal F.C. collection will be available via the adidas CONFIRMED app, Arsenal Direct and the 424 webstore.
G-SHOCK has just delivered its Metal Skeleton series, putting bold spins on the GM-110, GM-5600 and GM-6900 with gold and silver embellishments.
Not too far off from the “Glacier Gold” series released back in 2018, this new lineup adds more metal finishings to each watch’s resin build. All three models in this series embody stainless steel bezels, treated with ion plating that has gone through multiple stages of forging and polishing.
Each model sports its signature features — like the date calendar and backlight — encased by its shock-proof structure. The gold colorways are kept simple and plain, while the silver iterations come with an intricate camo pattern. Other functional elements of the watches, like 200-meter waterproofing, world clock, stopwatch, timer and alarm clock, round off the details of the vibrant series.
G-SHOCK’s Metal Skeleton series is currently available on HBX’s website and other retailers, ranging from $240 – $260 USD.
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