Rivian brought its outdoor-focused brand into apparel with “In Case of Adventure,” its July 2023 capsule collection with New York-based designer Greg Jackson.

For Adam Hilborn, Sr. Brand Lead at Rivian from 2021 to 2023, the project demonstrated how an electric vehicle company could enter a new category while remaining tied to utility, sustainability, and adventure.

Up next, we’ll look at how Hilborn’s design background, Rivian’s brand direction, and Jackson’s apparel experience shaped a collection made for everyday use.

A brand extension needs a clear reason to exist. Putting a logo on clothing may make it recognizable, but that alone does not make the product feel connected to the company behind it.

Rivian already had a strong association with electric vehicles, outdoor travel, practical design, and sustainability. Apparel gave the company another way to express those ideas outside the vehicle.

The “In Case of Adventure” collection was made for changing plans, shifting weather, and movement between city and outdoor settings. This helped the capsule feel connected to Rivian rather than like a separate fashion project.

For Rivian, the collection showed how clothing could carry the same practical, outdoor-aware qualities as its vehicles.

Hilborn’s career helps explain why he was a strong fit for this kind of brand work.

Before Rivian, he spent six years at IDEO, including roles as Senior Design Lead and Design Lead. His work involved leading teams across disciplines and translating complex ideas into clear, useful experiences.

At IDEO, he contributed to projects involving birthing centers across the United States, adherence to preventive HIV medication, commercial spaceflight onboarding, Ford’s innovation lab, D-Ford, and IKEA’s sustainability vision. These projects came from different fields, but they required clear design thinking and practical execution.

His wider career also includes brand identity, illustration, art direction, editorial design, product strategy, campaign design, and physical products. He co-founded Parishil, an experimental studio focused on the crossover between art and design. He also taught creative disciplines at OCAD University for a decade.

That range mattered for Rivian. The project required more than visual styling. It needed someone who understood how brand values could manifest in materials, product details, and the user experience.

Rivian partnered with Greg Jackson, a New York-based designer known for technical sportswear and performance apparel. His background gave the capsule credibility as functional clothing rather than simple branded merchandise.

Jackson described the collection as having “James Bond vibes,” referring to its mix of clean styling and practical readiness. That direction matched Rivian’s need for pieces that could work in both city and outdoor settings.

The collaboration worked because Rivian brought the brand direction, while Jackson brought the apparel knowledge needed to turn that direction into wearable products.

Hilborn’s brand work helped connect those parts so the collection felt aligned with Rivian’s larger direction.

The collection’s strongest feature was its practical detail.

The Adventure Jacket was made from water-resistant, breathable fabric with critical seam sealing. It included waterproof zippers and a front zipper pull that doubled as an emergency whistle. That small detail supported the collection’s focus on readiness without making the jacket feel overbuilt.

The Adventure Hoodie and Adventure Shorts were made from double-knit fleece for warmth. Both pieces featured reflective Rivian logos that increased visibility during outdoor activities.

The Adventure Shirt uses ECONYL® regenerated nylon and features vented, lined mesh for breathability. Strategically placed pockets added everyday function.

Together, these details made the pieces clean, useful, and connected to how someone might actually wear them.

Sustainability was part of the collection’s product choices.

The use of ECONYL® regenerated nylon and TENCEL™ fibers connected the capsule to Rivian’s broader sustainability focus while still serving the practical needs of the garments.

For an electric vehicle brand moving into apparel, that consistency mattered. The products needed to reflect the same values people already associated with Rivian.

“In Case of Adventure” showed how Rivian could enter the lifestyle apparel market without straying from its core identity. The collection was practical, design-led, and tied to the same ideas behind the company’s vehicles.

For Hilborn, the project fits a wider career pattern. Across IDEO, Ford, and Rivian, his work has involved turning complex ideas into clear design experiences. At Rivian, that meant helping the company express its brand beyond electric vehicles.

The collaboration with Greg Jackson gave Rivian a credible apparel project. Hilborn’s brand work helped connect that project to Rivian’s visual and cultural direction.

The result showed how Rivian’s values could appear in another product category through function, materials, and clear design. It also highlights Hilborn’s role in brand leadership, cross-disciplinary design, and a public-facing collaboration for a major electric vehicle company.