THE ROGER Clubhouse is the standout tennis-inspired sneaker created with Roger Federer. Featuring concealed CloudTec® and Speedboard® technology for all-day comfort and agile movement. Free shipping & returns.
Source: THE ROGER Clubhouse Limited Edition: everyday sneaker | On
A few weeks ago, I felt I needed to deliver a list of alternatives to the Nike Air Force 1. I made two lists of all white sneakers that you could check out if you were interested in wearing anything except a Swoosh or Jumpman. I was hipped to a new model from On-Running: The Roger designed with former Nike Tennis endorser Roger Federer.
THE ROGER Clubhouse Limited Edition arrived in two colors (Shown above) orange/white and forest/pearl. The shoes feature 5% recycle content and 25% recycled polyester. What makes the limited release shoe interesting is that I didn’t run across any ads for them. The shoes weren’t highlighted on giant sneakerhead websites. This is important because it establishes the fact that sneaker culture isn’t the sole driver of hype and interest. Brands are creating interest in their own limited drops utilizing social media and their own site traffic via splash pages and YouTube videos.
When the brand introduced this limited sneaker, the engagement on IG was at 4000 likes. On Facebook the shoe garnered comments and over 400 likes via two different posts. I’m not certain of how many shoes were produced, but the goal of a limited shoe is to generate interest across the brand’s product mix. Other iterations of the Roger aren’t sold out, but the interest in their all white (with subtle pops of color) seems solid.
To give this post a bit of depth, here is something to consider. As Nike continues to lose athletes like Roger Federer and Allyson Felix (who launched her own brand), the company in its attempt to own youth culture and hype, is creating what I call fissures in their foundation. There is a consumer that those athletes can reach and these small openings being created can and will lead to issues for the Swoosh. Right now it’s not a problem as On-Running has the shoes pictured throughout this post listed on their site in three different names without any clear delineation of the difference. The Clubhouse are the shoes in the pictures at the lead. The Centre Court is the picture above. The Advantage is the picture below.
All three shoes are similar in shape and tech, but these are the prices:
Clubhouse 149.99
Center Court 189.99
Advantage 139.99
The toebox on the Advantage looks like the classic Stan Smith styled tennis shoe. The Stan Smith retails at 85 bucks. The other two shoes don’t make sense at all by price. The Clubhouse was a limited release, but it rings up less than the readily available Centre Court. As often as I state that Nike is creating fissures, Nike doesn’t have to work to repair those cracks. Brands looking to gain ground often shoot themselves in the foot because they don’t find the middle. The sell through on the Clubhouse is impressive, but for a brand that the average person hasn’t heard of, On doesn’t have a low barrier to entry and that is a problem.