Brian Abrams
Director of Design
While many begin their career in business by following a chosen field of interest in school, it’s no surprise to me that I did it a little differently. I didn’t have much interest in attending college after finishing high school, but sports brought me there, leading me to become a collegiate gymnast at one of the top schools in the country and reinforcing work ethics along the way.
Armed with degrees in both accounting and marketing, I began the on-campus interview process, which quickly highlighted my desire for something different. I graduated college on a Saturday and began work two days later in a start-up business with my brother-in-law. The next seven years would be the first in a series of entrepreneurial endeavors that saw me founding, running, and selling five businesses.
The decades that followed fueled my drive to continue learning the best way to develop gear that mattered and that could perform under pressure. The period most impactful in this journey was my involvement in mountain training and guiding some of our nation’s most elite forces. The time I spent alongside Spec Op units such as Army Rangers, Air Force Para Rescue, Marine RECON, Special Forces, and Navy SEALS was my most valuable education and opened my eyes to just how important design is in enhancing warfighter survivability through the right apparel and gear.
My current design philosophy is driven by innovation and imagination, twin guiding principles that allow me to shape new products around what is needed and what is to come. I am inspired by proven performers and hope to evolve what’s next from a place of respect for the classics. 30 years later I find myself engaged with just as much passion for development and design as day one.
I am obsessed with outdoor recreation and consider myself to be a “mountain athlete.” I routinely compete at the elite master level in mountain biking, trail running, and Nordic skiing, which only fuels my passion for designing great products. Throughout the years, I’ve enjoyed countless hiking, backpacking, skiing, trail running, and climbing adventures, and have no intention of slowing down. Yet, every athlete needs their rest, so in my down time I enjoy home remodeling, landscape architecture, and photography.
