Sporty & Rich Founder Emily Oberg was always into fashion. “I didn’t really have a clear direction of what exactly I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be around clothes and something in that world,” Oberg said.
When she turned 18, she left her hometown of Calgary, Canada, to move to Vancouver to complete a one-year fashion program. Eventually, Oberg landed jobs at places like Complex and Kith, but realized she wanted to branch out on her own to focus on Sporty & Rich full-time. “They were both great experiences, but at the end of the day, I realized I was building someone else’s dream,” Oberg said. Now, she’s branching out into a new category with her sexual wellness brand, Sensual Sport.
On the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Oberg shares how she got her start in fashion, why she decided to launch her new line, and more. For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.
How did you start working in fashion and why were you so drawn to the streetwear side of things in the first place?
I started working in retail when I was 14 in Calgary, where I’m from. I was just always into fashion. I didn’t really have a clear direction of what exactly I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be around clothes and something in that world.
When I was 18, I left Calgary and moved to Vancouver. I did about a year of a fashion program—it was very general—but it covered a little bit of buying, fashion history, and merchandising—basically every part of the fashion world, but in a very introductory way.
This was when Instagram wasn’t huge and influencers didn’t exist. That was like 12 years ago. I had just been early on Instagram. I posted a lot of what I was wearing, which was a lot of sneakers and street wear at the time. I wasn’t big on Instagram, but I definitely had a sizable following.
Complex magazine found me through that. They were launching their video platform and they offered me the job as the face of their style and sneakers video division. I knew nothing about being on camera. I wasn’t a writer. I enjoyed writing and I did it as a hobby in my free time, but I had no real experience in that. I obviously had to take that opportunity, because it was kind of crazy that that happened.
I always wanted to live in New York since I was 13 years old. It was my dream. It was a really big pinch me moment. I was there for four years. I met some of my best friends. I learned a lot, obviously, but I always knew that I didn’t want to be in media and I wanted to be more on the creating side of things.
I then left and worked at Kith as the creative director of the women’s brand. I think, again, I was never fully fulfilled at doing what I really, really wanted to do, which was build my own thing. They were both great experiences, but at the end of the day, I realized I was building someone else’s dream.
I left Kith after only a year. I was just like, “I need to leave New York. It’s way too stressful. It’s too hectic. It’s too busy. I need the sun. I want a house. I want a yard. I want to drive. I want a change of scenery.” So I moved to L.A. I was doing some influencer stuff here and there, but I was really consulting for brands, doing art direction and helping them with campaigns. I love doing that stuff.
Again, I was like, “This isn’t really what I want.” I had started Sporty & Rich in 2014 as an Instagram account while I was at Complex, but it was very much on the side, like a hobby. I would post archival photos. It was kind of like when Tumblr was dying down. I moved from Tumblr to Instagram, started that page, built a community. I did the magazine first. I did four issues of that and then sporadically one or two hoodies a year max. It was not serious. When I moved to L.A., it was like, “Okay, let me try to actually pursue this and see if it does well.” And it grew from there. Since that point—which was about five or six years ago—it’s been a real brand I would say.
Sporty & Rich
Sport Stripe Oversize Cotton Button-Up Shirt
