The Style and Class of Emily Oberg

November 08, 2021

From an outside point of view, Emily Oberg lives a close to perfect life. Through a virtual screen, playing tennis in Tuscany, then flying to France for dinner, then getting holistic lymphatic drainage massages in LA, all while donned in Celine seems to be the average routine of the mogul. And for the average person, it's easy to get wrapped up in a lens of toxic and unrealistic lifestyle standards — but for Emily, those attributes that make up her image are the least of her worries. Upon meeting Emily, it's apparent that her needs and go deeper than what's perceived through the blind eye. She wants to lead a life full of beautiful moments and imagery, but only if that is reflected in the health and wellness of the physical world and its people.

Her care for the climate and wellness of others actually goes so deep, that her composition of multidisciplinary works all surrounds her mix of sustainability and health, all in a contemporary taste. Her brand, Sporty and Rich, and its offspring, 'Sporty and Rich Wellness Club' have been emblematic of that statement. In this wellness club, she spreads the knowledge of trusted and qualified experts to the public for free, along with playlists, mood boards, and newsletters to a community of health cognizant folks.

Interview by Tiana Randall
Photos courtesy of Sporty and Rich

And she's honest about her sustainability, she doesn't paint eco-friendly and green consciousness labeling across her brand— because she doesn't have to. The entrepreneur is honest about her practices and what she's able to do and what she can improve on since starting as a sustainable company, instead of converting over to one.

Sporty and Rich was born in 2014, and opened as a reference of inspiration for life through a collection of images from past and present that depict a life surrounded by beauty. Most famously, Emily appreciates imagery of Princess Diana and her style, French cashmere sweaters, tennis culture, vintage cars, and archived magazine spreads. It quickly grew into a print magazine, and now its contemporary form as a lifestyle and clothing brand. One thing Oberg does well is keep it simple. Her designs emphasize longevity over momentary relevance and play on classic styles and silhouettes that have been loved since the beginning of time and have stuck. With an ethos of, ‘Be nice, drink water, be good to the planet, take care of yourself and live a life of pleasure.’ it is imperative that Emily's legacy sticks around for the health and wellness of fashion.

We caught up with the owner of the brand to discuss the future and ethics of Sporty and Rich.

You've always been really big on physical health, but how do you maintain mental health? Because I think that's equally as important. What are your routines and how do you check in with yourself?

I'm a big proponent of therapy, I think everyone should have a therapist. I feel like everyone in New York does have a therapist — or multiple. I think therapy is really good just because having an outside perspective on your problems and just talking through things really helps. I also read a lot of books on positivity and how to navigate our society and I think those really help too. I feel like you kind of have to study how to be happy now, because it's so hard with everything that we have, like social media and pressure and comparing yourself career-wise or within your personal life. You have to really dedicate yourself to it. It's like working out. Your body's not going to improve if you don't go to the gym, just like your mind and your mental state won't improve if you don't really dedicate time to it. So I feel like books, therapy, definitely podcasts [help]. And just unplugging. I used to work a lot when I lived in New York. There's a lot of burning out and I feel like people kind of crave and romanticize that kind of life. I know that's the fashion way.

It's very American.

Yeah, definitely. But I think that's why it's nice to also have a Paris team because there's more balance and we don't work in this crazy way. It's never yelling at anyone or texting in the evening or on weekends. We don't do that. I'm the boss, so I can set that company culture so it's not that way, because I've had jobs like that and it's a nightmare. So it's all of those things. But I don't think a lot of people think it's that important, so they don't do it. But, to me, it's probably the most important thing you can do.

You mentioned reading books, what's the last book you read?

There's one called "The Mastery of Self." It was a series there's one about the mastery of love too. They all kind of talk about how to preserve your sense of self in the world and not letting certain situations or tragedy change who you are. They're about maintaining your happiness.

We have one thing in common, that I know of. I'm the biggest Sade fan of all time. So what is your favorite Sade song?

Probably "Paradise." I love that one.

Mine is "Maureen." I feel like it's really underrated. When it comes to Sporty and Rich, how do you cultivate your community? What made you want to start the newsletter?

I definitely think people like interacting. But it's hard; you can't respond to every DM or every comment or message, so I feel like the newsletter was a way for me to interact. I saw what people were wanting and what products they were using. Like, 'What do you like or where you buy this?' So I incorporated that with a journal diary entry, because people liked when I wrote for the Wellness Club, [though] I don't really write for it as much anymore. That's also why I also started the newsletter and I really like to write. It's a way I can communicate with everyone at once.

You also used to do a print magazine, are you still doing that now? How are you incorporating the digital aspects into the print?

I stopped the magazine a few years ago but I've been working on a book.

Like a coffee table book?

Yeah. I'm hoping for January, but that'll only be print.

What will that entail?

It's a health and wellness coffee table book with photos to go along with that and chapters on skin, digestion, working out, and all of the things that I love.

I think you have a guide on how to improve your gut — you're really big on that, right? Can you give me some tips?

What you're not getting through food, you need to get through vitamins. For gut, everyone's different, but a big problem is raw vegetables are really hard to digest and really, really hard on your stomach. Personally, I find in a lot of people that I've talked to, it's better if it's cooked. So I would avoid raw as much as you can.

I thought it was the opposite because I thought when you cook vegetables that it cooks all the nutrients out of it?

So that's if you over cook it to a certain point. A quick steam or roasting vegetables is really good. But raw, it's just hard because plants naturally have these chemicals that they use as a defense mechanism for animals. So when animals eat them, they're going to get sick. Kale is the worst one. When I eat kale, my stomach kills me.

What would you say are three easy ways to check in with your gut? Because I know it does affect your mental health as well.

Totally. I would say make sure you're going to the bathroom at least once a day. That's number one. Then I would say that most skin issues are directly related to the gut, so I feel like those are two defining factors for sure. Also with depression, obviously that's a chemical imbalance for some people, or situational, but I feel like a lot of depression is caused because people are not eating well or they are drinking too much.

I should look into that. I know there's certain cleanses you can do as well.

I've done a few — bone broth is amazing and even taking probiotics.

So you have a lot of these philosophies on life. What are they and how do they directly impact Sporty and Rich?

I would say the most important thing for me is to just focus on your happiness and overall quality of life and lifestyle. For Sporty and Rich, I kind of manifested that lifestyle for myself. It started as a mood board; I posted photos of things that I loved, or my dream life, or places I wanted to go. And for me, balance is a big part of it. I don't work crazy —I feel like when I say that people think I'm not a hard worker, but it just means that I'm not slaving away and I'm not trying to get to a place to prove anything to myself or other people. I'm just doing it because it makes me happy and I'll do it for as long as it makes me feel that way. I feel that everything you do has to bring you some joy in your life, otherwise there's no point in doing it. There are a lot of people who do things because it makes them a lot of money or because they think that's what people want them to do, but that's not a successful life to me.

Yeah, and a lot of those people are usually very soulless and have nothing to talk about except for work. So when it comes to your Wellness Club and having that print on the Sporty and Rich sweatshirts, where did that inspiration come from? Because I know you're into the 80s and the 90s and Princess Diana.

I think for a while I was trying to figure out what Sporty and Rich was and what the bigger story or bigger picture could be, besides just making clothes. It was a time where I was really starting to get into health and wellness and I thought it should be based around health. There aren't any brands really pushing health in that way, unless it's more blatant like Lululemon or something. But that feels kind of lame or for moms in a way. There wasn't really a brand pushing health for young, cool people who like all the things that we like, you know? So I feel like it's just my way of combining my two passions and promoting something positive that everyone can benefit from.

And will that show in the physical realm, like are you going to start doing Sporty and Rich yoga classes or tennis? I think that'd be so fun.

I really want to open a Sporty and Rich Country Club in LA with tennis courts and gyms and all of that. But that's my end goal — we'll see.

I just finished doing a row of traveling and I feel so lost within myself, so I'm trying to regroup little pieces of myself. You travel a lot as well, so how do you check in with yourself while you're traveling, whether that's bringing your favorite toner or products?

For work I do travel quite a bit. I always like to listen to positivity podcasts and always remind myself of certain things. I feel like sometimes we get in the mode of, 'Oh, this is annoying.' But I remember when I dreamed to be able to do this. I'm so happy and grateful for it. So just stuff like that, but there's nothing physical. I feel like I could travel with a toothbrush and be fine. I'm super low maintenance.

How can we make our everyday a little bit more sustainable — because I know that Sporty and Rich is very sustainable. You guys work within your own factory and you talk about that on Instagram a lot.

I think that the way we live our daily lives is a big part of it. So eating — if you're going to eat meat, there's a sustainable way to do it. I eat from local farms in California. It's about knowing where your products are coming from,I feel like [that] is really important and supporting businesses who operate in like a sustainable way too. But that's with any products that you have — skincare, your clothes, your food, but especially food, because I feel like that's the thing we consume the most. Making sure that wherever you're buying it — it's ethically sourced and it's all humanely raised. I think doing little things, like just unplugging appliances when you're not using it, not leaving the water running, or not using all of the lights in your house. Just little things that we do all the time, but it adds up and I don't think people realize that it's the small things that will make a big difference over time.

For people who want to make their own brands or their own Sporty and Rich, what would you say would be the biggest sustainability practice that they should look into?

Well, even though we try to have sustainability efforts, I think if you really care about sustainability, you're not going to start a brand. I'm passionate about the environment, but it's not my number one passion because if it was, then I would be working with a charity or an organization that works to do that. So if you care about the environment, don't start a brand because you are producing things. No matter what, even if it's recycled, there's still energy going into making that. But I would say giving back to organizations that do work to protect the environment and then also just not making a ton of product and only making what you know will sell, so you don't have waste and leftover to have to deal with. We plant trees for all of our orders. That's such a small thing that literally any brand can do, but over time it adds up. We have hundreds of thousands of trees now and it's kind of amazing. And using recycled materials where you can in the packaging and the clothes and the tags, labels, and everything. Those things are super easy. So I feel like it's not even an option, I just feel like you have to do it.

With any brand there's always going to be critiques on it and on its' sustainability practices. So what is the biggest critique you get and how are you making change towards that?

I would say the fact that we still make some of our items in China and overseas because there's certain things that we just can't get made here. Like a water bottle, for example. There's not a lot of American factories that make products like that. So I think for me, it's slowly getting rid of those types of items and more so focusing on more quality items versus quantity and shifting away from little things that are made overseas. We do a lot in Europe now.

What is the future of Sporty and Rich? I saw you were coming out with jewelry, but what else are you looking at doing?

Definitely more outerwear, swimwear, more product categories in general, like coats, knitwear, stuff like that. Then the book, and then hopefully one day, my country club for young people.

I saw that you guys are expanding to SSENSE and other retailers. What is that like and what made you want to do that? Because I know you like having ownership over the brand.

Wholesale was kind of a natural progression for the business and my CEO, who's my business partner. He's really good at sales and he's had a few brands and he's done really well in the wholesale side of things. So when he came on, he took that initiative and really grew us in wholesale. And it's also like a good way for people to discover your brand. Like in Moscow, how are they going to know what Sporty and Rich is unless you're in a store there?

You guys ship internationally right?

Yeah, we ship everywhere. But we have a good amount of wholesale now and we make sure we work with the best stores and the best partners.

It's Emily Oberg's world. What are the rules? What does it look like? What's going on? What are some of the laws?

For rules, I would say no littering. I would say being nice to everyone. I would say drink four liters of water a day is a rule— well, it's a strong suggestion. Do only what brings you joy, without harming anyone else. Also, sleep a lot and only buy what you need. In my world, I think there would be no Instagram also. No social media — no internet would be great. I think in my world it would just be like the sixties, in some ways. But yeah, all of this stress and pressure from the internet, I feel like it's done so much harm more than good.

Fashion

Happy 424 Day!

Simon Rasmussen — What's going on?

Guillermo Andrade — Right now we're just setting everything up.

So, what are you doing, is it a party?

Well, I kind of felt universally forced, right? Because 4/24/24, I was just like, I don’t really have a choice here. The stars also just kind of aligned, so to be honest, I got this settlement that came with a bunch of clothes so I had this idea to give back to the kids who fuck with us by allowing them to buy our shit first. Not handing stuff out for free, but to do it in a way where we could skip the middleman of the industry, so to speak, and not allow clothes to disappear into the abyss of Farfetch or whatever else. So what we’re going to do is a sort of warehouse sale, which we’ve never done before so that was really exciting for me. I didn’t want to do just another warehouse sale, so it’s like a sample sale turns rager. We teamed up with Adidas and a couple of other sponsors, then drinks, DJs, and a performance.

Sick, I love it.

Yeah. My dream sample sale. Also, it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts here in there, it’s proper collections from the past three seasons. I’m also not picking and choosing, trying to make it accessible, like this was the only way I could afford to buy shit when I was a kid, bro. Sample sales were the thing I looked forward to the most.

I feel you. In New York, there's the annual CDG sale, which is when I used to cop all my CDG.

The only time I could afford Rick. I flew to New York once for a Rick sample sale and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I got invited. And it was mental. I still have those pieces. I will never sell them. Not even because I got 'em cheap. It was also just really fun. Even on the flight to New York, I was like, I can't believe I'm going to New York for a sample sale, what a fucking loser I am. But it was like the adult version of when I was a kid and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I'm 20-something and I'm still doing the thing I was doing in high school. So I hope we can create moments like that for kids here in LA.

Yeah. I love that. It’s important to connect with them; they’re essentially creating the brand. If you don't have them, good luck.

I mean, yeah. Fuck, bro. It's cool that we've been around for this long. I mean, it got a little rocky there for a second I think, for all of us. So coming out of it, tomorrow is a celebration. And it’s like an odd day of the week. It's a Wednesday, super random. And now that we've set it up, the homies are all like, Yo, I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me jump on stage, let me do this, and that's really what it's always been about. It's not some other strategy to get likes on the internet.

That’s how the best things happen, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was intuitive.

Yeah, it all came together in a really nice way.

Would you say that’s how 424 started as well? I remember we met in like 2010 on Fairfax and I was visiting with Rasmus…

Oh bro, it’s probably the time when I started the branch… do you remember Cecilia from Black Dakini? She’s the one that introduced me to CIFF and honestly, I didn’t even care what she was doing, I was just like, I’m coming, I’ll go with you. She said she’d give me half of her booth and I said, Awesome count me in. At the time, I had just gotten my green card and I wasn't allowed to ever leave America, so Copenhagen was one of the first cities I went to when I could finally travel. I mean, you see what we did at CIFF bro? It became our fucking hub for half a decade.

That was a moment for sure.

I remember the first account I got was Antonioli, and he came super gangster, being like, You're going to sell me these clothes. And I was like, bro, I didn't come to sell clothes. I'm just kind of catching a vibe with my homie and I made these things. And he's like, No, you're going to sell it to me. And then I was like, Oh my god that’s Claudio Antonioli. So then I went home, I googled wholesale, and figured that shit out. [laughs]

[Laughs]

Like you said, I couldn't help myself, but I didn't just make t-shirts and hoodies either. I was really on my Rick wave, so I made my version of the Rick things. It was that meets like The Boondock Saints, because I'm still a little bit of a Cali bro, sort of rock kid, but not really. I like hip-hop, but I like the way the rock stars look. I like the contrast. I thought it was cool. After that, I just never stopped.

It was clear to me when I first met you that you were onto your own thing in LA. It made a lot of sense, and it was so cool. It was before 424 was its own brand; you just had the store and this really cool curation.

It was all my shit, bro. I was very, very invested in sharing all of these things that I was finding from all over the world, like Astrid Anderson. She was one of those designers at the time, so important to 424. The connection to Copenhagen specifically for me was huge. I had a big fan base there. It was incredible. And then here in LA, we were sharing the things that we were a part of and finding; it was still the early days of Fear of God, Rhude, Martine Rose. A lot of these brands, we were the first store to ever sell it — we were selling Hood By Air on the West Coast.

You had Rick as well, I remember.

Oh yeah. It took me a long time. But I got Rick, bro. By the time I had to close the store on Fairfax, I already had a Raf Simons account. I had reached my ultimate dream. It was really all the stuff I wanted to wear at the time. It was dope. The best of the best.

We had an office magazine newsstand in there as well.

Oh yeah, we did! I came to visit the one you had, and I was like, Yo, I got to bring this whole fucking thing over here. But yeah, in LA, after two days people forget you exist, but everyone’s been super supportive. We’re all 10 years older now. We've been around forever at this point.

It can be dangerous to take those breaks when you’re figuring shit out, but there’s something very genuine to this comeback you’re having.

Thank you, thank you. We’ve been in and out of those fucking showrooms in Paris for long enough. I've been in and out of these factories for the past 10 years of my life. We had to figure something out. And I think now really diving in, being in Italy full time and being there to develop these products over time, I think that the whole thing just really shows the suppliers respect you more. The people who are making your goods understand why you're making them. And I think now I finally got to the place where I'm not making Italian things, I’m making my clothes, I'm making Cali-centric shit, but with that European technicality and execution. With this Fall / Winter collection, it clicked.

So what’s the vision for the next year? What are you manifesting?

I'm just fucking relentless, bro. This is the way I want to live my life. Now that we are more aligned, more prepared, and have more experience, moving forward it is just more of becoming a fully functioning company that can provide and create opportunities for all of the people around me. We’ve been operating just on instinct for a long time.

Sustaining a business is scary, trust me I know.

Scary as fuck, dog. I just opened a store next to Bottega, bro, and it’s like what am I even doing? You have to just believe in the thing you're doing more than anybody else.

100%, and it seems like that’s what you’re doing.

And fashion’s kind of a competitive sport, as much as people don’t think it is. We can reach a certain level without losing ourselves. My biggest ambition at the moment is to create something that, when you leave one of our neighbors you come into our place you don’t feel that the level has been sacrificed at all. And it’s not easy.

Definitely. I wish I could be there tomorrow.

Thank you, bro. 10 years now. You’ve always shown me so much love. We have to do a booth or have the office part of the next 424 day. Shit let’s do a 424 day in New York.

That would be sick. Let's do it. I'm here. Let’s catch up soon.

Next season’s right around the corner so I’ll see you in Paris.

Yes, see you in Paris and Happy 424 day!

Fashion

Luis De Javier's Puta Takeover

April 25, 2024

Last night with Luis De Javier, guests were overheard confirming this generation's most vital conundrum: “If I’m cunt, I can still be pussy.” “And if you’re pussy, you can still be cunt.” This sentiment echoed throughout the night as we celebrated De Javier’s first-ever streetwear collection, "Puta". We spent seven hours at Ella Funt at a dinner turned party that only he could’ve thrown (co-hosted by emcee). It was too dark for even the most aspiring-to-look-mysterious of us to wear sunglasses inside. Under the semi-oppressive flash of party photographers, we danced as much as the space would allow, drank tequila out of teacups and kissed each other on the cheeks with a vaguely European intimacy. “I’m doing streetwear!” De Javier could be heard exclaiming — whether it be in disbelief or excitement, we couldn’t tell you.

Words and photos by Izzy Capulong

The Spanish-born London-based designer has been well-loved for his genderless tailoring, latex mastery, and overall message of empowerment. Dressing everyone from ravers to A-listers, De Javier’s latest drop pushes his design repertoire to a new level. “While designing for my celebrity clientele and showcasing my creations on the runway has always been my dream,” he notes, “It’s equally important to me that my brand resonates with a wider, more diverse audience.” While this collection’s medium has shifted from corsets to sweatshirts, the classic LDJ avant-garde sensibilities remain. Bikinis and booty shorts are shamelessly emblazoned with “PUTA,” blazers are constructed with ample shoulder padding, and I had my eye on the cheekily-named “Faguette Bag.”

The Puta collection will be available exclusively on emcee.

Fashion

Nadia Lee Cohen Celebrates Paris Texas Launch at the Chateau

To celebrate the launch, Cohen and founder and creative director of Paris Texas, Annamaria Brivio hosted an intimate dinner at the Chateau Marmont pictured below. Arman Naféei entertained guests throughout the evening with a special playlist he curated for the occasion.