Hailing from Canada and landing in NYC, Emily Oberg has become well-known for juxtaposing sportswear and luxury aesthetics in fashion, design, and art. She recently launched her first issue of Sporty & Rich, a magazine based around her popular style aesthetic, so we got together to chat about print as an art form, evergreen stories, and vintage inspirations.
How'd you come up with the name Sporty & Rich? What's the significance?
I was trying to describe my style one day and I just came up with that. It sounded funny and silly, but was also a very accurate way to describe my aesthetic. People always want you to describe your style in one or two words, so this was mine.
Why'd you want to make it into a print magazine?
I wanted something tangible. Something that I could feel and have in my home, and have in other people's homes. Print is dead in a lot of aspects, but there is something romantic and special about a physical copy of anything. Today everything is online, so when some new website launches, it automatically looses it's appeal and originality because there are just so many. I wanted my product to stand out and to me, building a magazine is an art form.
As far as the next issue, can you give us any sneak peeks into features or vibes we should look forward to?
It will have the same vibe—evergreen content that is relevant today but won't be dated in a few years from now. I will continue to focus on design, art and style while adding in subtle hints of streetwear— which is the industry I'm in and something that I love. I've also brought on a lot more contributors and advertisers, so I'm excited to share and show their work to get people excited about new talent. I'm also really looking forward to sharing an editorial I shot with my friend Fahim Kassam from Vancouver, we try to shoot every time he's in town. He's one of the best photographers I know and since we're old friends, it's super easy and fun when we work together.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE MAGAZINE?
The inspiration was the past, I am inspired by a lot of things from other times that no longer exist. I was also inspired by my talented creative friends who contributed to the project. I wanted it to be a reflection of mine, and their taste. In it is all things that fall under the Sporty & Rich aesthetic and mindset.
YOU FOCUSED ON FASHION AND INTERIORS, WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THESE SUBJECTS?
Fashion has always been an interest of mine and as I've grown up, I place a lot of importance on my home and the look and feel of homes in general. I love interior design and architecture. Fashion is cool, but designing a building or laying out a living room? That's special. It's important that I am surrounded by beautiful things in order to create, so I spend a lot of time and dedication perfecting my space. I also prefer investing in my home and pieces for it rather than clothes and shoes because there is a longevity that doesn't exist within fashion. In most cases, you have your home for a long time and it is part of who you are, so I want to make it as perfect as possible.
If you're in NYC, be sure to hang with Emily on Monday, July 18th for Maker Mondays at American Apparel Williamsburg. Get all the details here.
