Melbourne label R.Sport is reimagining what traditional sportswear looks like
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALUM SIM
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
“We want people to express themselves as much as possible by pairing our garments outside the realms of what might be considered typical sportswear.”
In Australia, sport is held in the highest esteem. It takes on a religious quality – we have devoted followers, fanatic leaders and frantic fanfare. There is one aspect of it all, though, that’s rather lacklustre. The fashion. Guernseys and satin-look shorts hold so much potential and people outside of the sporting arena are starting to take notice.
One such person is Anthony Puliatti, the founder and creative director of R.Sport. Sure, the Melbourne label is a homage to his love of sport, but it also takes performance activewear’s aesthetics into consideration. For those who play team sports recreationally, R.Sport provides functional pieces. For those who couldn’t give a toss about sport, R.Sport provides on the style front.
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As a self-taught designer, Anthony’s path has been far from linear. Inspired by the sportswear meets streetwear style of stars like Serena William and Andre Agassi, R.Sport is injecting vintage appeal into its pieces. Below, we hear about the label’s journey so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
I don’t have a formal [or] educational background in fashion. I have always admired good clothing and how individuals pair garments together. For me, what has always been more appealing is sportswear [and] how it can crossover from performance to visual appeal.
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Growing up [I] played a lot of sports. More often than not, [I was] wearing sportswear [and so] the aesthetic grew on me, literally. I was really drawn and inspired by the styles, [both] on and off the court, of Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, James Blake and Thierry Henry – just to name a few from the ’90s and early 2000s.
In terms of design, I’m self-taught (with a lot of trial and error). I initially learnt to design garments while I was living in Cornwall, UK in 2015. I had a lot of spare time on my hands and gradually improved my skillset from designing to technical packing and gathering an understanding of the aesthetic I was trying to portray.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
The label dates back to 2015, initially being a reflective sportswear label curated for early morning [and] late night cyclists and runners, enabling visibility components to garments that also could be worn pre and post [exercise]. I loved the concept and the products being created but my business partner and I decided to go separate ways after a couple of years.
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From here I took on full ownership of the brand. As much as I liked the brand and concept, I wanted to create broad[er] sportswear that was based around all sports, because that’s where I find a lot of inspiration.In 2018, my partner Christy and I moved to Melbourne from Adelaide. I changed the business name from kvRkr.Sport to R.Sport and refined the logo quite a bit. The initial name [was] difficult to pronounce and I wanted to simplify the brand from name to concept. R.Sport was on the back burner for a minute while [we were] moving but it was always in the plan. I kept designing in my spare time to try and [keep] learning.
After a couple of years of building up designs and ideas, I went to a couple of textile conventions and met some manufacturers. It was really important to feel fabrics first-hand and understand the process around manufacturing and what specific ethics [companies have in place].
The challenge from here was sampling and refining, which is a challenge to this day as we’re always exploring and trying to improve products. I will say our samples are much more on point these days, so it does get easier over time! After being happy with our small product range, I eventually launched in February 2020.
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Where did the name come from?
I get asked a lot of questions about what the ‘R’ represents, [so] I kind of just leave it up to [interpretation]. A lot of people believe it is [stands] for recreational, which makes a lot of sense since recreational sport is such a big focus of ours. But I kind of like not having a fixed meaning (for now). We also incorporate “All-terrain recreational sports” as a bit of a slogan, and this resonates through our love for all sports and sportswear.
How would you describe your brand to someone who’s never seen it before?
I’d describe it as versatile. While we’re primarily a sportswear brand we don’t want our product to be pigeonholed as performance-based sportswear. We want people to express themselves as much as possible by pairing our garments outside the realms of what might be considered typical sportswear.
What are you most proud of in your work on your brand?
I’m really proud to be able to [inject] personal interests into the brand and have the confidence and community to share them with. I’m also proud that I’ve been able to form relationships [through] R.Sport with clients and customers, who are now some of my closest friends.
What do you wish you had known when you started?
Not a whole lot, to be honest. Going in oblivious has been the best way to learn and remain curious. Being ignorant of how hard it can be sometimes was probably a good thing.
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Who do you think is most exciting in the Australian/NZ fashion scene right now?
There are a lot, so I’ll name a few. I’m lucky enough to share a studio space with my good friend Jasper, who is now a part of R.Sport but also does his own thing with his label Woat, which we’ve carried out a couple of collaborations with. He’s got a unique eye for design, so keep an eye out for Woat. And downstairs in our studio, we have Into Carry which produces real[ly] nice upcycled carry bags. So I’m pretty lucky to be surrounded by great creatives doing things that keep me inspired.
Others I think are exciting [are] Umi Nori, Après Studio, Sketches and Skengs, Two Five Footwear, Fantl Sport and Charles Lebrun.
What about the Australian/NZ fashion scene needs to change?
Being pretty raw to the scene, it’s hard to see what’s going on outside our door. In saying that, I think directionally things are on the right path with a consciousness for sustainability [growing]. Conversations are percolating and education is being shared… but no one is going to be perfect.
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A positive change and something that continues to progress is a supportive culture [of] collaboration. Brands are starting to [ditch] the mindset of seeing each other as competitors and are combining communities which I feel is a win-win for everyone. It can be an intimidating space at times, particularly starting out, so giving time to those asking questions [who are] wanting to start their own thing is really important because we’ve been there.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
You can find all our pieces online on our website or drop us an email or a DM on Instagram to come through to our studio to see the product physically. We also have select items soon to be stocked in stores like Sucker in Brunswick, Ultra Football in Abbotsford, Krool in Newcastle and Concrete Jungle in Brunswick.
Browse R.Sport’s collection here.
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