Federer-Backed On Sneakers Are Now as ‘Swiss’ as Tennis Star (1)

Roger Federer has flown the flag for Switzerland on and off the tennis court for decades. Now the shoes that bear his name can also legally do the same.

Swiss shoemaker On Holding AG, which makes a model called “The Roger” that the tennis legend helped design, has just been authorized to use the Swiss cross on the sneakers it sells in Switzerland, despite them being manufactured over seven thousand miles away in Asia.

Until now, under “Swissness” rules, the white Swiss cross on a red background was reserved exclusively for products made in the country, guaranteeing ...