Working within the Ford Design team, I contributed to the Color & Material design work behind the Bronco Filson SUV — a premium interpretation of the 6th-generation Bronco, built in partnership with Filson, the century-old Seattle outfitter known for gear that only gets better with use. The goal was never to reinvent the Bronco, but to refine it: taking the materials, driving experience, and off-road capability up a level without losing the ruggedness the platform is known for.

Across the interior, that meant translating Filson's no-fuss approach to materials into the cabin — quilted leather seating, a wrapped leather dash, and finishes chosen to wear in rather than wear out, so the truck feels just as at home after years of hard use as it does on day one. The differences are subtle, but they change how you actually use the vehicle.

One detail I was especially proud to help shape was the accessory bag system built throughout the cabin — the saddle bags integrated into the doors and the storage tucked into the triangle of the rear sport bars. Designed with water- and dirt-resistant materials and magnetic closures in place of snap buttons, they carry that same Filson-inspired thinking: gear that disappears into the routine of actually using the vehicle, so you can load it up and head out without a second thought.

Underneath all of it, Bronco Filson is still very much a Bronco — Sasquatch package standard, 35" tires, front and rear lockers, GOAT modes, and custom-tuned Fox shocks for the balance of on-road ride quality and off-road capability, powered by the twin-turbo 3.0L EcoBoost V6 shared with Bronco Raptor. Ford also worked in a quieter cabin, auto-deploying running boards, and a tailgate-camera rearview mirror that still works fully loaded with gear.

It was a special project to work on — Filson's brand book and the Bronco's own design language were built from a lot of the same source material (rugged, trusted, honest, authentic), and the partnership traces back to both brands having outfitted Forest Service workers in the 1960s. Getting to help translate that shared DNA into something that lives inside the vehicle, in service of getting people further into the outdoors with the gear they need close at hand, was a great way to be part of the Bronco family's story.