Sporty & Rich: Wellness Empire

Emily Oberg's Sporty & Rich has become one of the defining fashion brands of the 2020s, a self-funded, 100% founder-owned label that turned a curated Instagram feed into a $35 million annual revenue business without a single dollar of outside investment. The brand sits at the precise intersection of vintage sportswear, quiet luxury, and wellness culture, riding and in many ways creating the "old money aesthetic" wave that has consumed Gen Z and millennial fashion. What started in 2014 as a mood board of archival sports imagery and Phoebe Philo-era Celine campaigns now encompasses ready-to-wear apparel, hotel collaborations, a SoHo flagship with a cafe and spa, a skincare line, and an Adidas partnership five collections deep. Oberg's ambition is to push the brand to $100 million in annual sales within five years, and she's building the infrastructure to do it.

Emily Oberg's Path From Complex Magazine to Cultural Tastemaker

Emily Oberg was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her father is Filipino, her mother American, and she grew up far from fashion's power centers. In 2014, while working as a salesperson at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, she landed a full-time role at Complex Magazine in New York as an on-camera host and editor, earning $55,000 a year. She got the job partly because she had built a sizable Instagram following posting streetwear and sneaker outfit photos. At Complex, she hosted the "Get Sweaty" workout series with celebrities including DJ Khaled, co-directed the documentary Sold Out about Supreme resellers, and covered sneaker drops and album releases. Her Instagram following grew 20-fold during her time at the publication.

The seed of Sporty & Rich was planted at her Complex desk, where she pinned two images side by side: one of Michael Jordan, one of a Phoebe Philo-era Celine campaign. She described it as a perfect juxtaposition, a merger of sport and luxury. She started the @sportyandrich Instagram account as an archive of images she wanted to reference: vintage sportswear, Slim Aarons photography, Princess Diana in bike shorts, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. She published four issues of a Sporty & Rich print magazine and began selling small batches of embroidered apparel: blank Russell Athletic crewnecks purchased from Modell's in TriBeCa, embroidered in Chinatown, and shipped from her desk before anyone else arrived at 7 a.m.

After three years at Complex, she told Kith founder Ronnie Fieg she wanted to leave media. He offered her the role of creative lead of Kith Women in February 2017. At Kith, Oberg learned the mechanics of fashion, designing collections, selecting fabrics, running e-commerce shoots, and producing fashion shows. But within roughly a year, she realized she did not want to build someone else's dream. Burnt out on New York, she moved to Los Angeles, where she met David Obadia, founder of Parisian menswear label Harmony. He became both her partner and the brand's co-founder, bringing production and wholesale expertise to complement her visual and marketing instincts. In 2018, they formally launched Sporty & Rich as a clothing brand.

How a Crewneck That Made $600,000 in a Day Built a $35 Million Business

Sporty & Rich's growth trajectory defies conventional fashion-brand playbooks. The first real collection launched in 2019 with just 10 to 15 items on pre-order, and sales exceeded expectations. Pre-orders became the engine of the business. The brand found its factory in Los Angeles, hired one person to handle shipping, and implemented Netsuite to manage scaling operations.

The pandemic proved to be the rocket fuel. Stuck at home, consumers gravitated toward comfortable clothing wrapped in aspirational lifestyle messaging. Oberg recalled in a BoF podcast interview that a single crewneck generated $600,000 in one day. The brand's slogans, "Health is Wealth," "Drink More Water," and "Be Nice," resonated with a generation suddenly hyper-focused on wellness. Revenue reached approximately $30 million by 2022 to 2023, then climbed 10% to hit $35 million in 2024, according to the Business of Fashion. The New York flagship store, which opened in July 2023, generated $4 million in its first three months, well above the projected $2.5 million.

Oberg owns 100% of the company. She has deliberately avoided outside fundraising, consulting with Aritzia founder Brian Hill. In August 2024, she replaced Obadia as CEO, hiring experienced executives from Aritzia, Ganni, and Uniqlo to professionalize operations. The brand now drops 24 collections per year (twice monthly), sells through 120+ wholesale partners including Selfridges, Harrods, and Revolve's luxury arm FWRD, and is eyeing stores in London, Dubai, and Asia.

Vintage Sportswear Meets Quiet Luxury: The Aesthetic That Launched a Movement

Sporty & Rich's visual identity draws from a specific cultural archive: 1980s and 1990s sportswear, country club culture, and old-money leisure. Campaign imagery channels Princess Diana's off-duty gym looks, Slim Aarons pool scenes, and the effortless elegance of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The color palette stays muted: cream, navy, forest green, burgundy, heather gray. Typography is serif-heavy and institutional, evoking Ivy League athletics departments rather than streetwear brands.

This aesthetic arrived years before "old money" and "quiet luxury" became TikTok phenomena. Oberg told Vogue Philippines that while the country club look has become popular and trendy, people can tell when things are not authentic. The brand's positioning is deliberately accessible. Sweatshirts retail for approximately $150, T-shirts for $65 to $95, and caps for $45 to $55, meaning it functions as an entry point into the aspirational lifestyle it portrays. As Oberg described it to Entertainment Tonight, it is playing tennis in a pleated skirt and diamond necklace, going to the gym in a Loro Piana sweater, running errands in sneakers and a Birkin bag.

The wellness dimension is equally central. The Sporty & Rich Wellness Club launched in January 2020 as a dedicated Instagram account covering workout routines, clean beauty, mental health, and nutrition, all unsponsored, based on Oberg's personal experience. In 2022, the brand published The Sporty & Rich Wellness Book, a coffee table book of interviews and essays on healthy living. A beauty line followed in September 2023 with minimal, non-toxic products priced between $28 and $40. Oberg's ultimate vision is physical wellness clubs: a luxury country club for young people with colonics, naturopath services, blood work, tennis lessons, a pool, a trainer, and Pilates, all under one roof.

Adidas, Lacoste, Prince, & the Palace Hotels That Built Brand Credibility

Sporty & Rich's collaboration strategy has been remarkably disciplined, pairing exclusively with partners that reinforce its vintage-sport-meets-luxury positioning. The Adidas Originals partnership is the most prolific, spanning at least five collections since November 2022. The inaugural drop featured updated Firebird Tracksuits, Campus 80s, Samba OGs, and Stan Smiths in Sporty & Rich's signature muted palettes. By May 2025, the partnership had evolved to include Adizero Adios runners and Originals Blanc sneakers celebrating court nostalgia.

The Lacoste collaboration (May 2023) produced a 22-piece collection drawn directly from Lacoste's 1970s and 1980s tennis archives, co-created with then-creative director Louise Trotter. The Prince Tennis partnership has been ongoing since 2021, with capsules branded "Prince Sporty & Rich Tennis Club 1994" featuring co-branded racquets, apparel, and accessories.

The hotel collaborations have been particularly effective at elevating brand perception. The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc collaboration (Antibes, France) produced a 25-piece capsule in 2023 inspired by 1970s photographs of the iconic Riviera hotel. Le Bristol Paris has released two collections, September 2023 and January 2025 for the hotel's centennial, featuring cashmere co-ords, velour tracksuits, and pajama sets launched during Paris Fashion Week. The Carlyle, New York (a Rosewood hotel) released a November 2024 drop including varsity jackets and cashmere pieces bearing the hotel's Madison Avenue address. Additional partnerships include the New York Yankees (August 2025), Yale, Solid & Striped, Clarks, and Sonos. Each collaboration reinforces the same visual world: nostalgic, institutional, and quietly luxurious.

The SoHo Flagship

Sporty & Rich's first brick-and-mortar store opened in July 2023 at 133 Greene Street in SoHo, a 3,600-square-foot, two-floor space formerly occupied by Dior Homme. Designed by architect Uli Wagner with interiors directed by Oberg, the store was heavily inspired by 1980s department stores, specifically Bloomingdale's and Esprit, according to Fashionista. The retail floor carries the full Sporty & Rich ready-to-wear and lifestyle range. The cafe brews Canyon Coffee alongside tea, matcha, pressed juices, smoothies, bone broth, and vitamin shots. Two treatment rooms offer lymphatic drainage massages and sculpting buccal facials by appointment. The brand also hosts regular in-store wellness events, including skin wellness workshops, group fitness mornings, and smoothie bars. A second location opened on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood in 2025, spanning approximately 5,200 square feet with a garden and cafe.

Gen Z's Country Club: Target Audience & Cultural Position

Sporty & Rich occupies a unique cultural position as one of the brands that pioneered the old-money aesthetic before it became a mass trend. Celebrity fans include Hailey Bieber, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lori Harvey, Elsa Hosk, and Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, a roster that spans fashion insiders, wellness influencers, and Gen Z digital-native celebrities. The South China Morning Post explicitly frames it as "the athleisure brand that Gen Z loves."

The brand's success reflects broader market dynamics. The global athleisure market was valued at approximately $400 to $430 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $620 billion to over $1 trillion by the early 2030s, growing at a CAGR of roughly 7 to 10%. The premium segment, where Sporty & Rich operates, is growing even faster at approximately 10.45% CAGR through 2031. North America represents 37 to 41% of the global market. Women's athleisure is the dominant and fastest-growing consumer segment, and online channels are expanding at 11.36% CAGR. Both trends directly benefit Sporty & Rich's positioning and distribution model. Oberg has been described less as an influencer and more as a curator, a distinction she embraces. The brand built a lifestyle and identity first, then wrapped products around it, rather than creating products and retroactively constructing a brand world.

Trajectory

Sporty & Rich's trajectory illustrates a new model for fashion brand-building in the social media era, one where curatorial taste and lifestyle authenticity generate more value than traditional design credentials or venture capital. Oberg built a $35 million business by articulating a specific visual world that predated and arguably triggered the quiet luxury and old money trends now saturating the market. The brand's expansion into physical retail, wellness services, beauty, and hospitality collaborations signals a strategic shift from apparel company to lifestyle platform. With Oberg now serving as both creative director and CEO, the path to her stated $100 million target depends on whether she can scale operations while preserving the personal, curatorial sensibility that made the brand resonate in the first place.

References

Amed, Imran. "Lessons in World-Building: How Emily Oberg Created Sporty and Rich." The Business of Fashion, 2025, www.businessoffashion.com/podcasts/retail/the-bof-podcast-lessons-in-world-building-how-emily-oberg-created-sporty-rich/.
Business of Fashion. "Can Sporty and Rich's Emily Oberg Break the Founder-CEO Curse?" The Business of Fashion, 2025, www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/can-sporty-rich-emily-oberg-break-the-founder-curse/.
Business of Fashion. "Kith Hires Influencer Emily Oberg to Ramp Up Women's Business." The Business of Fashion, Feb. 2017, www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/kith-hires-influencer-emily-oberg-to-ramp-up-womens-business/.
Fashionista. "Emily Oberg's Goal With First Sporty and Rich Store? To Make Fashion Less Stressful." Fashionista, July 2023, fashionista.com/2023/07/sporty-and-rich-new-soho-store-emily-oberg-interview.
Fraser, Kristopher. "Adidas Originals Collaborates With Sporty and Rich on Vintage-Inspired Apparel and Footwear Collection." WWD, 9 Nov. 2022, wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/adidas-sporty-rich-collection-release-info-1235413277/.
Hypebae. "Emily Oberg Announces Sporty and Rich Wellness Club for Health and Fitness Lovers." Hypebae, Jan. 2020, hypebae.com/2020/1/sporty-and-rich-emily-oberg-wellness-club-health-beauty-workout.
Hypebae. "Sporty and Rich Collaborates With The Carlyle Hotel." Hypebae, Nov. 2024, hypebae.com/2024/11/sporty-rich-the-carlisle-hotel-collaboration-release-date.
Hypebeast. "Essentials: Emily Oberg." Hypebeast, Sept. 2021, hypebeast.com/2021/9/essentials-emily-oberg-sporty-and-rich.
Ilchi, Layla. "Lacoste and Sporty and Rich Unveil Collaboration." WWD, 26 May 2023, wwd.com/fashion-news/activewear/lacoste-sporty-and-rich-collaboration-1235664121/.
Kamer, Nimrod. "Emily Oberg of Sporty and Rich Draws the Line at Pickleball." Interview Magazine, 17 Jan. 2024, www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/emily-oberg-of-sporty-rich-draws-the-line-at-pickleball.
Khemaney, Sheena. "What Is Sporty and Rich, the Athleisure Brand That Gen Z Loves?" South China Morning Post, 29 Jan. 2024, www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3250144/what-sporty-rich-athleisure-brand-gen-z-loves-how-emily-oberg-turned-instagram-mood-board-la-based.
Langedijk, Bonnie. "An Unfiltered Email Exchange with Emily Oberg." HURS, 2024, hurs-official.com/home/hur-conversations/emily-oberg.
Manoff, Jill. "Sporty and Rich's Emily Oberg: Brands with a Strong Image Stand the Test of Time." Glossy, 23 Aug. 2023, www.glossy.co/podcasts/sporty-richs-emily-oberg-brands-with-a-strong-image-stand-the-test-of-time/.
Oberg, Emily. "How I Turned an Instagram Page into a $30 Million Dollar Business." The Sporty and Rich Digest, Substack, 24 Aug. 2024, emilyoberg.substack.com/p/how-i-turned-an-instagram-page-into.
Richford, Rhonda. "Sporty and Rich Launches Le Bristol Collaboration at Paris Fashion Week." WWD, 25 Sept. 2023, wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/sporty-rich-le-bristol-paris-collaboration-1235831164/.
Ricketts, Marella. "Emily Oberg of Sporty and Rich Knows What She Wants." Vogue Philippines, 22 Aug. 2025, vogue.ph/fashion/designer-profile/sporty-and-rich-emily-oberg-profile/.
Sloane, Carly. "Sporty and Rich Founder Emily Oberg Shares Why Hailey Bieber and More It-Girls Love Her Luxury Sportswear." Entertainment Tonight, 5 May 2023, www.etonline.com/sporty-and-rich-founder-emily-oberg-shares-why-hailey-bieber-and-more-it-girls-love-her-luxury.
V Magazine. "Sporty and Rich Opens First Flagship Store in SoHo." V Magazine, July 2023, vmagazine.com/article/sporty-rich-opens-first-flagship-store-in-soho/.