A joyful Veuve Clicquot collab
Yinka Ilori and Veuve Clicquot unveiled “Chasing the Sun,” a bright collaboration that channels the maison’s signature yellow into a celebratory design project tied to Milan Design Week. It’s a neat example of how drink brands use design partnerships to create Instagram‑friendly moments. (wallpaper.com)
Veuve Clicquot is turning a bottle of champagne into a design destination in Milan from April 20 to April 26, with British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori building an installation called “Chasing the Sun” at Mediateca Santa Teresa in the Brera Design District. (fuorisalone.it) The project is not just a room with branding on the wall. Veuve Clicquot says the collaboration includes exclusive objects designed for its Yellow Label and Rosé bottles, and Wallpaper reports those objects include a champagne bucket and a champagne cooler. (veuveclicquot.com) (wallpaper.com) Ilori is a very specific choice for that job. He is widely known for bright public works and furniture, and both Fuorisalone and Brera Design District describe him with the nickname “Architect of Joy,” which fits a house trying to sell celebration as much as champagne. (fuorisalone.it) (breradesigndistrict.it) Veuve Clicquot has been building that visual identity for a long time. The house traces its signature yellow label to 1877, and recent coverage of this launch ties the new installation directly to that historic color. (falstaff.com) (veuveclicquot.com) The setting matters almost as much as the objects. Milan Design Week pulls global furniture, fashion, luxury, and media crowds into one city every spring, and Brera is one of the event’s busiest districts for brand installations and walk-in traffic. (designboom.com) (breradesigndistrict.it) Veuve Clicquot is using that foot traffic like a luxury retailer uses a flagship store. The official event listing says visitors move from the installation to a Clicquot Café with an all-day menu and then to a boutique selling the Ilori collection and other accessories. (breradesignweek.it) That turns a champagne launch into a full route: see the colors, sit in the café, handle the product, then buy the limited-edition piece. It is closer to an exhibition mixed with a store than to a traditional drinks promotion. (breradesigndistrict.it) (breradesignweek.it) This also fits a wider luxury pattern around Milan Design Week in 2026. Women’s Wear Daily said wine and spirits brands are deepening their design presence there, and Veuve Clicquot’s Ilori partnership is one of the clearest examples of a drinks house borrowing the language of collectible design. (wwd.com) So the news is not only that Veuve Clicquot hired a colorful designer. It built a weeklong, place-specific experience in Milan that links a 149-year-old yellow label, a contemporary designer with a strong visual signature, and a physical path from installation to café to shop. (fuorisalone.it) (falstaff.com)
