At Milan Design Week 2026, British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori MBE unveils Chasing the Sun, a vibrant new collaboration with Veuve Clicquot that celebrates light, joy, and human connection.
Launching from April 21 to 26, the limited-edition collection is introduced through an immersive installation that brings Ilori’s signature language of colour, pattern, and storytelling into dialogue with the Maison’s iconic solar identity. Rooted in optimism and inspired by themes of togetherness and renewal, Chasing the Sun marks a bold new chapter for Veuve Clicquot — transforming over two centuries of heritage into a contemporary design experience that radiates warmth, creativity, and emotional resonance.
Blending expertise in architecture, sculpture, furniture and both interior and graphic design, Yinka Ilori – celebrated as the “Architect of Joy” – brings his bold, colourful and uplifting approach to the campaign, using visual storytelling to inspire connections between people and the world around them.
For Veuve Clicquot’s Chasing the Sun, Ilori imagines a creative universe: protective hands embracing the sun, reimagined stars, and symbols inspired by nature and human connection come together to celebrate light and togetherness.
In Ilori’s words, “In this world, you are the sun that you chase”. Chasing the Sun is an ode to the warmth that binds us, the light that heals, and the joy that radiates from within, through every gesture, encounter, and every shared moment. Like sunlight transforming care into harvest, the calabash’s generous form becomes a symbol of the fruit we bear when we cherish the sun. “Whatever you sow is what you shall reap”, is a parable Yinka learned from his Nigerian parents. A philosophy that perfectly embodies Veuve Clicquot’s spirit: dream big, bright and beautiful.
Crafted as a limited-edition series of luminous, functional, and meant-to-be-cherished gifting objects, the Chasing the Sun collection perfectly complements the Yellow Label and Rosé cuvées. Each creation, adorned with patterns imagined by Yinka Ilori, stands as a statement object celebrating joy and the love of design, values close to the heart of the Maison.
Find more information on the Yinka Ilori collaboration with Veuve Clicquot here.
