Most champagne houses wear their identity in shades of ivory and gold – the visual grammar of luxury. Veuve Clicquot is the conspicuous exception. Its now-iconic yellow branding dates to the 19th century, when the house introduced a vivid label to distinguish its drier champagne.
For Milan Design Week 2026, Veuve Clicquot has taken that sunny legacy and translated it into a limited-edition collection of drinks accessories, among them a champagne bucket and cooler. Entitled ‘Chasing the Sun’, the collection was developed in collaboration with British-Nigerian designer Yinka Illori MBE. When you're building a collection around colour and vibrancy, the self-styled ‘architect of joy’ was perhaps an obvious choice.
Illori's interpretation is light, bright and uplifting. Drawing on his Nigerian heritage, he has fashioned a visual world of joyous motifs across the accessories: hands cradling the sun, reimagined celestial forms and symbols rooted in nature and human connection. The standout pieces – the 'Sun Totems' and 'Sun Holder' – are inspired by the calabash fruit, which has traditionally served across West Africa as a portable drinking vessel.
The collection also includes a reimagined version of the Clicquot Arrow gift box – shaped as a road sign displaying the distance between a chosen destination and the maison's cellars in Reims – alongside smaller accessories such as a bottle stopper and grape-material charms. Upcycled materials and 3D knitting technology are used throughout.
Yinka Illori on his joyful collection of drinking accessories
Wallpaper*: How did you balance your signature aesthetic with Veuve Clicquot’s visual heritage?
Yinka Illori: It was about finding the right framework. I saw myself as the frame, reframing their heritage through my own lens.
There was already a natural invitation through the brand’s signature colour. That colour, depending on the light, perspective and what surrounds it, offers a range of tones – sometimes more orange, sometimes more yellow. Just like the sun, it has natural variations.
Since colour is what gives my work depth and perspective, this became the common thread – the natural equaliser between my visual language and their heritage identity.
W*: How do you translate emotions of happiness and optimism into tangible objects?
When it comes to joy and optimism, I’m really interested in how we get there and where we pick people up, because everyone is chasing that feeling.
For me, optimism comes from the idea that happiness is something we create ourselves. It exists within each of us. So the process begins with looking inward, listening closely and then translating that into physical form. The shapes and objects come out of that process of reflection, giving form to something that is usually invisible.
W*: What was your design process for this collection?
YI: The process was very much about immersion: both in my own context and in Veuve Clicquot’s world. Visiting the vineyard, I was interested in the role that the sun plays – on a practical level, it helps the grapes grow, but more importantly, on a conceptual level, you can feel its presence in the warmth and care that goes into the making.
That connected strongly to my own heritage. In Nigeria, the calabash is a natural form that is used in many ways. The sun helps it grow, but it reaches its full potential when people gather around it and use it.
The shapes in the collection are inspired by the calabash, which was very present in my upbringing. The hand motifs represent community and craftsmanship, the circle represents the power of the sun, and the sun itself is reflected in Veuve Clicquot’s signature colour. The colours are also inspired by natural elements – the different hues the sun creates depending on the time of day, the materials it touches and the environment.
W*: How did you approach selecting materials and processes?
YI: My journey as an artist and designer started with upcycling. What interests me is the idea that objects already carry a history, a life that has been lived. It’s about recognising that and reframing them. That’s why upcycled materials felt natural for this project. They already hold stories, and when brought together, they create new ones.
3D knitting is a newer element for me, but I’ve always had a strong interest in textiles, especially because of their importance in Nigerian culture, whether it’s aso-oke, tie-dye or Dutch wax prints. What I find interesting about 3D knitting is that it gives textiles a sculptural quality. It allows them to take up space rather than remain flat. In that sense, it becomes another medium for storytelling.
W*: What can visitors expect from the installation at Milan Design Week, where these pieces will be debuted?
YI: I wanted to create a space where people can feel warmth, calm and inspiration. It reflects the same sentiment as the products themselves. Milan Design Week is very energetic and exciting, but also quite intense. I wanted to offer a moment where people can slow down, come together in warmth and peace.
W*: What do you hope people feel when they use or experience these pieces?
YI: I hope to take people on a journey, show them my own journey, but also Veuve Clicquot’s. Ultimately, I want people to look within themselves and find their own ‘sun’, both individually and within their community.
‘Chasing the Sun’ makes its debut at Milan Design Week, running 21-26 April 2026, at Mediateca Santa Teresa, Via della Moscova 28, Milan.