Rivian debuts purple tone as part of “multi-sensory” exhibition in Miami

Rivian debuts purple: a concise orientation before we get practical.

Rivian debuts purple: Quick notes

During Miami art week, electric car brand Rivian launched a limited, deep-purple tone for its vehicles informed by a “solar storm” with an installation located in Miami Beach’s Collins Park.

The Rewilding the Future installation consisted of two main volumes designed by Rivian’s in-house team, which displayed a Rivian R1S electric SUV in the brand’s new purple Borealis colour, as well as wooden display units that explored the company’s design process.

Rivian has showcased a new car colour as part of Miami art week. Top photo by Tobias Hutzler

A main pavilion displayed two Rivian models among plywood furniture and displays, while a second, smaller volume sat across the way and showcased the brand’s exploration with scent as part of the “multi-sensory” Miami exhibition.

The volumes were primarily made of scaffolding and covered in textiles, the same deep purple as Borealis.

The Borealis colour was on display in a plywood and scaffolding installation in Collins Park. Photo by Ellen Eberhardt

“We created two volumes so we could dedicate one to sight and one to scent, which introduces our fragrance study to the public for the first time,” Rivian Senior director of marketing experiences Liz Guerrero told Dezeen. “Separating them allowed each idea to have its own atmosphere, shape language and storytelling clarity.”

“Much of our work is rooted in the intersection of nature and technology, and we wanted to bring that to life in a way that felt immersive and expressive of the natural systems that inspire us.”

A circular pavilion showcased an in-progress scent

In the “sight” pavilion, a Rivian R1S is displayed in Borealis.

According to the brand, the purple colour was informed by an image Rivian customers took of their vehicles underneath a solar storm, which piqued the design team’s interest.

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“During a 2024 solar event, a group of Rivian owners shot photos of their vehicles glowing under the surreal, purple-washed sky, and it captured our design team’s imagination,” said the brand.

The team then translated the deep, purple tones of the sky into Borealis, which also contains a touch of shimmer at certain angles as an homage to the night sky.

Jars of spices were displayed on a circular table

Across the way, the Scent of Terrain pavilion displayed an assortment of spices, such as cardamom, that are currently being used in a scent the brand is workshopping.

Jars of the scent were affixed to the pavilions’ sides, so that visitors could smell and give feedback to Rivian staff.

Currently, the brand is still working on the aroma, but imagine it being used in a Rivian car as a diffuser or incorporated into its materials.

The brand also displayed its limited Miami Edition vehicle as part of art week. Photo by Brandon Delacruz

“Scent is uniquely memorable, and we want to get to a place where we have a scent that becomes synonymous with the Rivian brand, sparking that amazing recall that you almost don’t realise you have,” said Guerrero.

This is the first time Irvine-based Rivian has popped up as part of Miami art week. The company manufactures in Illinois and began in Detroit before moving to California in 2020.

It also showcased a Miami-edition vehicle in its Aventura and Brickell showrooms as part of Miami art week, which are custom-painted R1S Quads wrapped in Glacier white and pops of teal and pink “as a love letter to the city’s vibrancy and creativity”.

Other Miami art week 2025 installations include beachside exhibitions by designers Es Devlin and Pilar Zeta.

The photography is courtesy of Rivian.

Rewilding the Future was on display 3 to 6 December in Collins Park. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Rivian debuts purple comes up here to connect ideas for clarity.