Emily Oberg
Emily Oberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994 (age 31–32) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | Founder of Sporty & Rich |
| Title | Founder and CEO of Sporty & Rich |
Emily Oberg (born 1994) is a Canadian businesswoman and fashion designer. She is the founder and chief executive officer of the lifestyle and apparel brand Sporty & Rich.[1][2]
Born in Calgary, Oberg moved to New York City in 2015 to work as an editorial producer and on-camera host at the media company Complex, and later served as creative lead of the women's line at the streetwear brand Kith.[3][4] She began Sporty & Rich as an Instagram mood board around 2014 and developed it into a print magazine and then an apparel brand. Based in Los Angeles and Paris, the brand is known for combining vintage 1980s and 1990s sportswear with a wellness-focused, country-club aesthetic.[5][6]
Early life and education
[edit]Oberg was born in 1994 in Calgary, Alberta.[1][6] She began working in retail at the age of 14, and at 18 she moved to Vancouver to complete a one-year fashion program before relocating to New York City.[5]
Career
[edit]Complex and Kith
[edit]Oberg moved to New York in 2015 to join the media company Complex, where she worked as an editorial producer and on-camera host covering sneakers, streetwear and popular culture.[3] She hosted the workout video series Get Sweaty, in which she exercised with guests including Erykah Badu and DJ Khaled.[7] She also co-directed Sold Out: The Underground Economy of Supreme Resellers, a documentary about resellers of the brand Supreme.[8] In February 2017 she left Complex to become creative lead of the women's line at the streetwear brand Kith, working under its founder Ronnie Fieg; she departed about a year later to concentrate on her own brand.[4][1]
Sporty & Rich
[edit]Oberg started Sporty & Rich in 2014 as an Instagram account that archived vintage images of sport, supermodels and luxury, and ran it as a side project while she was at Complex; it grew into a print magazine that ran for four issues.[5] In 2018 the project became a company when Oberg partnered with the French designer David Obadia, with whom she was then in a relationship; Obadia served as chief executive and oversaw design, production and finance from Paris, while Oberg remained founder and creative director.[2][9] The business was self-funded and grew without outside investment.[10]
The brand operates a twice-monthly product "drop" model and opened its first store on July 20, 2023, a two-floor, 3,600-square-foot space at 133 Greene Street in the SoHo neighborhood of New York that had previously housed a Dior boutique and that included a café and a spa.[11][12] The brand expanded to more than 200 wholesale accounts and opened flagship stores in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Seoul.[3] It launched a beauty and skincare line in 2023,[10] and reported revenue of roughly $30 million in 2023 and an estimated $35 million to $40 million in 2025.[10][6]
Sporty & Rich became known for its collaborations.[11] In 2022 it released its first collection with Adidas Originals, reworking the Campus 80s, Samba, Stan Smith and Firebird tracksuit;[13] a 2024 follow-up was released around the Paris Olympics in a red, white and blue palette referencing Canada, France and the United States.[14] It also produced a tennis-themed collection with Lacoste in 2023,[15] and collections with the hotels Le Bristol Paris and Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc.[9]
In 2024 Oberg began developing Sensual Sport, a separate sexual-wellness brand offering supplements, underwear and oils.[16] In 2025 Obadia left the company, and Oberg, who owns Sporty & Rich outright, took over its management and design and assumed the role of chief executive officer, stating an aim to grow the brand to $100 million in annual sales.[2][3]
Personal life
[edit]Oberg divides her time between Los Angeles and Paris, where Sporty & Rich is headquartered.[17] She attends the French Open tennis tournament each year.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Emily Oberg Is Streetwear's Martha Stewart". SSENSE. 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Morris, Malique (February 19, 2026). "Can Sporty & Rich's Emily Oberg Break the Founder-CEO Curse?". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- 1 2 3 4 "Sporty & Rich CEO Obadia Exits Brand". WWD. January 6, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- 1 2 "Former 'Complex' Producer Emily Oberg Is Now the Creative Lead for Kith Women". Fashionista. February 9, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Why Sporty & Rich Founder Emily Oberg Is Launching a Sexual Wellness Line". Who What Wear. March 12, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Sporty & Rich CEO David Obadia leaves". FashionNetwork. January 7, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ Sidell, Lainey R. (February 9, 2017). "Kith Hires Influencer Emily Oberg to Ramp Up Women's Business". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- ↑ "Meet Emily Oberg, the woman rewriting the rules of streetwear". nss G-Club. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kamer, Nimrod (January 17, 2024). "Emily Oberg of Sporty & Rich Draws the Line at Pickleball". Interview. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Emily Oberg, Sporty & Rich | Glossy 50 2023". Glossy. 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 "Emily Oberg of Sporty & Rich Knows What She Wants". Vogue Philippines. August 22, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Emily Oberg's Goal With First Sporty & Rich Store? To Make Fashion Less Stressful". Fashionista. July 26, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Adidas Originals Collaborates With Sporty & Rich on Vintage-inspired Apparel and Footwear Collection". WWD. November 9, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- ↑ "Sporty & Rich and adidas Originals Bring Back the Samba". Hypebae. July 29, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Lacoste and Sporty & Rich Fashion Collaboration: Details, Photos, More". WWD. May 25, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- ↑ "Sporty & Rich Founder Emily Oberg Files Sexual Wellness Brand Trademark Application". WWD. August 5, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2026.(subscription required)
- ↑ "Emily Oberg's Sporty & Rich bets on international expansion". FashionNetwork. February 26, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2026.