About Us
Who is ONZ?
ONZ (Formerly GripOnz) was started by Ben & Alex, the founders of NZBootroom - New Zealand’s most trusted boot sellers for the past 5 years. We are two young lads from Auckland who met ten years ago in 2015 playing football in the same team at school.
What is ONZ?
ONZ is a sportswear brand, with a focus on quality, innovation, and performance - we design products that enhance the experience of sport. Our goal is to provide today’s players with essential equipment - from grip socks to accessories - that improves confidence on the pitch. Every product is crafted with you, the player, in mind - to help you perform at your best and enjoy the game to the fullest.
Where did ONZ start?
The idea for ONZ first came about in the summer of 2021/2022, while we were sitting in our basement working on NZBootroom’s website. Excited by the prospect of launching our own online store, we began talking about selling more than just boots. At first, it was just a thought, but the idea stayed with us. The more we explored it, the clearer it became that we didn’t want to simply resell other people’s products - we wanted to design and create our own. That’s how ONZ was born. We knew it would take a lot of work, but the challenge was exciting, and we were ready to take it on.
How did we make ONZ happen?
ONZ was built gradually over the course of two years - a longer journey than we first anticipated, as we were both juggling full-time commitments. Alex was working in Auckland, while Ben was studying at the University of Otago, so spare time was rare. ONZ began as a side project that we chipped away at week by week, steadily ticking off tasks and making small bits of progress. Regular Zoom calls between Auckland and Dunedin kept us connected and moving forward as we refined ideas and shared updates.
Why did we start ONZ?
Ever since starting New Zealand Boot Room, it has been our dream to launch our very own sportswear brand. The NZBootroom journey began in our final year of high school with a small Instagram page dedicated to reselling boots. Our followers loved the content, the page kept growing, and to date, we’ve sold over 1,500 pairs of boots! Seeing how much the Kiwi sporting community valued a locally run online store they could rely on inspired us to take it to the next level - creating a dedicated destination for sportswear and accessories.
3 years later...
Our mission remains simple: to create high-quality, innovative sportswear with the player at the center of everything we do. We aim to become a nationally recognised brand that Kiwi athletes trust - and eventually take ONZ to the global stage. Through every product we design, every detail we refine, and every game we support, our focus will always be on helping players perform at their best. This is just the beginning - watch this space, because we’re only getting started...