Yinka Ilori’s Radiant Turn

At Milan Design Week 2026, Yinka Ilori reaches for the sun, and Veuve Clicquot hands it to him. In Chasing the Sun, the British-Nigerian artist transforms the Maison’s world into a vibrant landscape of colour, pattern, and sculptural form, infusing it with the warmth and optimism that define his practice.

Known for weaving memory, community, and cultural storytelling into exuberant visual languages, Ilori reimagines Veuve Clicquot’s champagne buckets, carriers, and gifting objects through celestial motifs, graphic surfaces, and references to the calabash — a symbol of generosity and shared experience in West African culture. Functional pieces become expressive objects, animated by sunlight and symbolism.

The installation — part exhibition, part café, part boutique — extends this vision into an immersive spatial experience where colour and light guide visitors through Ilori’s joyful universe. Upcycled materials and 3D-knitted elements add a tactile dimension to a project rooted as much in feeling as in design.

At its core is a philosophy Ilori inherited from his Nigerian parents: “Whatever you sow is what you shall reap.” In Chasing the Sun, that idea becomes a meditation on warmth, creativity, and the joy that emerges when people gather together.