Sporty & Rich Drops Core Collection October 2024 Faced by Andreea Diaconu
/Sporty & Rich Founder Emily Oberg has dropped her new Core Collection, two months after filing a trademark application for a brand called Sensual Sport.
Yes, Emily Oberg intends to sell personal oils, sex toys, supplements, underwear and more — as part of her entry into the sexual wellness sector. Oberg drops new products and prestige collabs regularly, but we have no sex toys in the new Core Collection.
Top model Andreea Diaconu showcases the Core Collection, lensed by Dudi Hasson [IG], in shots that include sports bras, sweatpants, shorts, and casual tees. The volume is low-level in colors and styling except for the Sporty & Rich logo. There is a denim jacket in the CC.
Oberg isn’t selling a sustainability message for Sporty & Rich — although her approach to fashion itself may be more sustainable. But seeing Diaconu reminded me of her 2023 C2C Certified® cashmere campaign for Ralph Lauren. That campaign is very in sync with Oberg’s Sporty & Rich mindset.
Sporty & Rich has one of the tightest brand visions AOC has ever seen. In the new Core Collection of Sporty & Rich athleisure essentials, cozy and comfortable are operative descriptors. Bodycon pieces are also well-represented.
The fabrics are not revolutionary — and yet they are carefully manicured. At a time when brands are turning back to print magazines — in a digital world — Sporty & Rich fits into this mindset.
Make no mistake, Sporty & Rich is not for couch potatoes. The brand DNA fully embraces sport and exercise as key to healthy wellbeing. But its DNA is more Maine old money than Manhattan moguls in-the-making looking for the latest revolutionary fabric that’s fit for winning an Olympic medal.
Except her customers are in Soho at her Sporty & Rich wellness location opened in summer 2023. Oberg has her eye on country clubs eventually, to house her lifestyle concept, including food services. She sees it in the Hamptons, of course. But probably Westport, Connecticut and Atlanta, too.
Oberg’s own instincts for Sporty & Rich are pitch perfect. In a real sense, she doesn’t need lessons from anyone. At the same time, I do believe that Oberg is at least aware of what Kim Kardashion is doing at SKIMS — from a brand management perspective, not product. Not yet.
Just doing a cursory search of current Sporty & Rich accounts confirms much growth in the last year. And Emily Oberg seems well on her way. She hasn’t indicated a plan for investors but her business discipline, brand clarity and assortment management makes her a very attractive candidate for funding if and when she takes that route.