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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
Black S.R Sport Quarter Zip Sweatshirt
Let’s get into your brand new line, Sensual Sport. For listeners who aren’t super familiar, it is a sexual wellness line that features items like supplements, underwear and essential oils for pleasure, of course, with a few toys, too. How did that idea come to be, especially as someone who was so focused on ready-to-wear and products? How does that fit into the Sporty & Rich universe? Or do you see them as two separate entities?
I see them separately, but of course, it’s me, so I think the identity and visuals are a little bit similar, but I’ve tried to differentiate the two because I do want it to stand on its own and it is a totally different category, as well. I’ve been doing Sporty & Rich for a while. I feel like it’s in a really good place and I’m super happy with it, but I always want to be challenged.
Not that there’s not challenging parts of Sporty & Rich still. A part of launching this brand was A, I thought that there’s a need and a gap in the market for a luxury, cool sex brand. And B, I think I’ve been a little too comfortable for the last couple years. At the beginning of Sporty & Rich, I did everything. I did the logos, I did the tech packs, I did the artwork for the packaging. I did the newsletters.
I don’t do any of that anymore, because we have a team now and we have people doing those things. I’m so grateful for that, but I miss doing those things, because I like working with my hands, I like doing tasks. It makes me feel accomplished. It makes me feel purposeful.
Right now, with Sensual Sport, it’s only me and I do absolutely everything. It just makes me happy. It’s like everything I love to do.
Tell me a little bit about the products themselves. What’s in the first drop? What can people expect?
We’re gonna launch with three products. One is a vibrator, one is a hyaluronic acid-based lubricant, and one is a mouth spray, which is basically it’s like a flavored spray that increases your salivation, so it makes your mouth salivate and it’s fruit flavored.
Everything’s super natural, super clean. Then we’re definitely going to get into supplements. Eventually, I want to start doing underwear. I think just anything that falls under the sexual wellness category is something I want to do and products that I want, because I have to love it at the end of the day.
I feel like these are basic, essential items. They’re fun and they’re cute and anyone can use them. Then we’ll expand more and more.
Sensual Sport
The Essential Vibrator
Sensual Sport
Wet Mouth Spray Peach
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
