David Obadia’s tenure at Sporty & Rich is over. The American premium casualwear label, the offshoot of the Sporty & Rich project developed in 2014 by Emily Oberg, former editorial producer at Complex magazine, has announced the departure of its CEO. Obadia, who took office in 2018, was in charge of the label’s various Paris-based departments, looking after design, sales and finance. In a press release, Sporty & Rich stated that Oberg has taken over the label’s management and design.
David Obadia – Sporty and Rich
Sporty & Rich is positioned in the affordable luxury segment, its collections blending streetwear codes with 1980s and 90s looks typical of country clubs, tennis clubs, and trendy beach and ski resorts. In the last seven years, the label has posted double-digit annual revenue growth. Oberg, who was born in Calgary, Canada, has openly referenced Ralph Lauren as a benchmark brand.
Sporty & Rich has also tapped into the wellness trend, and some of its t-shirts and sweatshirts are emblazoned with slogans like ‘Health is Wealth’, ‘Eat More Veggies’ and ‘Drink More Water’. The label was launched online and became established by means of regular capsule collection drops, as well as collaborations with popular brands like Adidas and Lacoste. Over time, it won over high-profile retailers like Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette in France, WOW in Spain, Luisa Via Roma in Italy, and End Clothing and Harrods in the UK. More recently, it has opened monobrand stores in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Seoul.
“It has been an honour for me to work alongside Emily Oberg in developing Sporty & Rich during the last seven years. I would like to thank her for this experience and I am sure she will lead the brand into a new growth phase,” said Obadia, 36, in a press release, adding that he is leaving “to engage in new professional projects.”
Obadia started his career with French designer Stéphane Ashpool’s Pigalle label. In 2010, he co-founded Parisian premium streetwear brand Brooklyn We Go Hard (BWGH). In 2014, he founded Harmony Paris, a label blending streetwear and tailored looks, of which he is also the creative director.
Sporty & Rich has not disclosed its financial results but, according to various US news outlets, it generated revenue between $35 million and $40 million (€30 million to €35 million) in 2025.
