Sporty & Rich
Streetwear was just the start for influencer lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich.
The latest: The wellness outfitter opened its first retail space in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood, selling its trademark vintage-inspired gear alongside premium spa services and a health-conscious cafe. The flagship opening advances its rapid progression from apparel company to all-encompassing wellness brand.
- Sporty & Rich evolved from an Instagram account to a $30M business, with no outside funding.
- It debuted an online Wellness Club in 2020, released a coffee table book with interviews and essays on healthy living in 2022, and has future plans for skincare, supplements, and full-blown health clubs.
- It counts two successful collabs with adidas, a tennis capsule with Lacoste, a swimwear line with Solid & Striped, and luxury leisurewear with Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
Undeterred by its connotation, founder Emily Oberg sees Sporty & Rich as a next-gen goop and plans to leverage the power of brand and value of an owned audience through social media for further expansion:
“For me, it’s more about the world and the lifestyle that we’ve created rather than the product… I don’t think it really matters what we make. I think people just want something that’s Sporty & Rich.”
On the subject… goop is dissolving its UK arm after its London storefront lost ~£1.4M in four years, calling into question the reliability of its cult-like following. Gwyneth Paltrow’s company, once valued at $250M, faces consistent criticism for woo-woo wellness claims and an exclusionary approach to health.
Brand before business. Sporty & Rich belongs to a wave of young brands stealing market share from apparel giants by niching down and promoting lifestyles first, products second.
- British luxury menswear brand Represent established its vibe on Instagram before branching into activewear with its 247 line; it expects £250M in revenue by 2025, up from £50M this year.
- District Vision, designed for spiritualists with high-fashion sensibilities, leveraged its loyal following to grow from sunglasses maker to full-fledged sports brand.
- Satisfy sells itself as the running company for anti-runners, evoking a punk-rock ethos with products like $130 Moth-Tech T-shirts.
From California’s Aviator Nation to the UK’s Tala to Blogilates founder Cassey Ho’s POPFLEX capsules, the list of internet-born brands could go on and on. Meanwhile, Alo, the celebrity favorite for studio-to-street fits, surpassed $1B last year and has sights set on a global wellness empire.
Takeaway: Influencer-led lifestyle brands are capitalizing on the younger demographic’s desire for activewear that also signals their attitudes toward health, wellness, and fitness. With charismatic founders, experiential stores, and auras of exclusivity, the new class has made a collective dent in the mainstream — but their staying power has yet to be proven.
