I wanted the name to be related to ideas like depths, lengths, distances, locations, and diverse environments. Ultimately, those are the places our products are made for and the places we hope people spend more time in. It needed to be catchy, short, memorable, and evoke some feeling when seen.
After months of thinking and research, I kept coming back to the word “lake.” Not as the brand name, but because a lake can exist in almost any setting — mountains, forests, deserts, or coastlines — and that felt representative of what we’re building for. As I thought more about it, “lake” was already short and punchy like I wanted. It had meaning, but it obviously wasn’t unique. Rather than finding some obscure or overly long synonym, I decided to take a different approach.
That became Laek.
What immediately stood out was how the “a” and the “e” reflect one another, creating a bit of symmetry and intrigue. I’m also dyslexic, so I thought it was kind of funny having a word essentially spelled wrong. I’ve noticed maybe 20% of people hesitate when pronouncing Laek, which makes me smile, considering how many words I’ve struggled to pronounce myself.
When I first wrote Laek, I knew it would eventually become an acronym, but it didn’t start with one. As the brand grew, some words naturally fit:
It’s intentionally a bit long and not meant to imply we have all the answers — more that we’re always learning about moving through land, water, and the places where they meet. Only ever written small, it’s one of those things meant to be vaguely remembered yet always thought about. The goal is for someone without our gear to ask, “Doesn’t that stand for something?” and only Laek fans truly know the answer.This is still just the beginning, I'm looking forward to keeping you updated as things continue to develop over the coming years.
Please drop a comment with any thoughts or ideas down below.
Cheers,
- Jordan
On every continent and in every kind of environment—in mountains and deserts, on plains, and near seashores. Varying greatly in both size and depth. Temperature, light, precipitation, and wind are contributing factors to the outcome.
This is Laek, and these are the kinds of places we make things for.
