behind the collection
EXPEDITION LUXE
Questions & Answers with Creative Director, Joel Haller
"Sometimes nature provides a palette so colorful and vivid that it inspires an entire seasonal collection."
Our Creative Director, Joel Haller, has taken the colors and experiences of the West and created a collection that touches the hearts of the adventurous soul.
"Sometimes nature provides a palette so colorful and vivid that it inspires an entire seasonal collection."
Our Creative Director, Joel Haller, has taken the colors and experiences of the West and created a collection that touches the hearts of the adventurous soul. After roaming the West -- from the vibrant Grand Canyon to the vast wilderness of Wyoming and Montana -- Joel designed Expedition Luxe.
Expedition Luxe, along with our new Fall colors, is a celebration of the courage, independence and freedom the West represents.
Not only does Joel have an amazing eye for design but he’s also been with the Sportiqe team before it even had a name or logo. After designing the iconic buffalo logo, he has been evolving with us ever since. His love for design began as a child when he would sketch covers of Sports Illustrated and in his teenage years, he developed a love for the stunning visuals in fashion advertising.
The number one source of inspiration? Ralph Lauren. From the moment he saw Ralph Lauren’s iconic lifestyle pieces that captured a sense of adventure -- long before any other designer or brand was playing in this space -- Joel felt creatively ignited and began dreaming of the possibilities for his own career.
"Sometimes nature provides a palette so colorful and vivid that it inspires an entire seasonal collection."
Our Creative Director, Joel Haller, has taken the colors and experiences of the West and created a collection that touches the hearts of the adventurous soul. After roaming the West -- from the vibrant Grand Canyon to the vast wilderness of Wyoming and Montana -- Joel designed Expedition Luxe.
Expedition Luxe, along with our new Fall colors, is a celebration of the courage, independence and freedom the West represents.
Not only does Joel have an amazing eye for design but he’s also been with the Sportiqe team before it even had a name or logo. After designing the iconic buffalo logo, he has been evolving with us ever since. His love for design began as a child when he would sketch covers of Sports Illustrated and in his teenage years, he developed a love for the stunning visuals in fashion advertising.
Our Creative Director, Joel Haller, has taken the colors and experiences of the West and created a collection that touches the hearts of the adventurous soul. After roaming the West -- from the vibrant Grand Canyon to the vast wilderness of Wyoming and Montana -- Joel designed Expedition Luxe.
Expedition Luxe, along with our new Fall colors, is a celebration of the courage, independence and freedom the West represents.
Not only does Joel have an amazing eye for creativity but he’s also been with the Sportiqe team before it even had a name or logo. After designing the iconic buffalo logo, he has been evolving with us ever since. His love for design began as a child when he would sketch covers of Sports Illustrated and in his teenage years, he developed a love for fashion advertising and stunning visuals.
The number one source of inspiration? Ralph Lauren. From the moment he saw Ralph Lauren’s iconic lifestyle pieces that captured a sense of adventure -- long before any other designer or brand was playing in this space -- Joel felt creatively ignited and began dreaming of the possibilities for his own career. "Ralph Lauren became a big inspiration of mine,” Joel says.
After roaming the West -- from the vibrant Grand Canyon to the vast wilderness of Wyoming and Montana -- Joel designed Expedition Luxe. Expedition Luxe, along with our new Fall colors, is a celebration of the courage, independence and freedom the West represents.
Not only does Joel have an amazing eye for design but he’s also been with the Sportiqe team before it even had a name or logo. After designing the iconic buffalo logo, he has been evolving with us ever since. His love for design began as a child when he would sketch covers of Sports Illustrated and in his teenage years, he developed a love for the stunning visuals in fashion advertising.
The number one source of inspiration? Ralph Lauren. From the moment he saw Ralph Lauren’s iconic lifestyle pieces that captured a sense of adventure -- long before any other designer or brand was playing in this space -- Joel felt creatively ignited and began dreaming of the possibilities for his own career.
"Ralph Lauren became a big inspiration of mine,” Joel says.
“I admired how he designed apparel for a lifestyle and how he showed us in his advertising how to dress for the adventure, that is when I knew that I wanted to be a designer.”
In honor of the next Expedition Luxe Collectiondrop tomorrow, we wanted to tell you a little bit about our Creative Director, Joel Haller, and his inspiration behind this exciting collection.
The number one source of inspiration? Ralph Lauren. From the moment he saw Ralph Lauren’s iconic lifestyle pieces that captured a sense of adventure -- long before any other designer or brand was playing in this space -- Joel felt creatively ignited and began dreaming of the possibilities for his own career.
"Ralph Lauren became a big inspiration of mine,” Joel says.
“I admired that he designed apparel for a lifestyle and how he showed us in his advertising how to dress for the adventure, that is when I knew that I wanted to be a designer.”
In honor of the next Expedition Luxe Collectiondrop tomorrow, we wanted to tell you a little bit about our Creative Director, Joel Haller, and his inspiration behind this exciting collection.
Can you tell us more about your background?
"I grew up in northern Minnesota playing sports, hunting and riding dirt bikes. That rugged, American lifestyle influenced my design style. I graduated from college with a degree in design with a marketing minor. After college, I worked in France designing fashion catalogs and eventually apparel. I would spend any spare time I had walking the streets of Paris going to fashion houses and fabric stores soaking up as much of the fashion Industry as I could. It was clear then and now that apparel design and graphics are my passion."
What’s your favorite thing about being Sportiqe’s Creative Director?
"I think my favorite thing is being able to be completely immersed in the creative vision. From the discovery phase of the colors and fabrics, to the sketching of the new styles and graphics, and then to the execution of the final designs and seeing the entire collection come to life."
What one word would you use to describe the collection and why?
"Just one word? It would have to be Autumn. When I think of Autumn, I think of nature’s changing color palette and the cool crisp fall air. I think of football games, hunting and gathering firewood. I think of the layering of fall colors, textures and outerwear. Autumn, to me, evokes a rugged outdoor lifestyle."
What inspired you to design Expedition Luxe?
"The inspiration comes from my love of the rugged outdoor lifestyle and my adventures in the mountain wilderness."
What is your favorite piece from this collection and why?
"It is tough to pick one, but the Laramie is a great one. It combines a heavy-weight brushed flannel button up with a hoodie to make a versatile shirt jacket that is great for layering over a tee. It is soft and cozy for lounging with your morning coffee inside the cabin yet durable enough to wear on a mountain adventure."
Can you tell us more about how you created and chose the fabric for this collection?
"Along with our tried and true Tri-blend fleece and Tri-blend jersey, the Expedition Luxe collection also has a great assortment of specialty fabrics that were designed for comfort and durability. There is also a great mix of textures and colors that when layered create elevated fall looks."
Why did you decide to name the collection “Expedition Luxe”?
"The name Expedition Luxe comes from combining rugged adventure styling with a rich fall color palette and premium Sportiqe fabrics. It is the ultimate hybrid of elevated adventure style and Sportiqe comfort."
We are excited to finally release this collection and can’t wait for you to roam in comfort in Expedition Luxe.
- Joel
Written By: Joel Haller, Sportiqe Creative Director and Jennifer Lawhead
October 14, 2021