M.A.D.1S ‘Grow Your Dreams’

For Yinka Ilori, the world is a canvas for optimism. Through vibrant colour and playful design, the British-Nigerian artist infuses everyday objects with joy and meaning. From his childhood to his rise as a celebrated multidisciplinary creative, Ilori has used storytelling to blend cultural heritage, social commentary, and aesthetics across diverse mediums.

Driven by a sincere desire to uplift, Ilori transforms everything from London’s greyest corners to custom McLarens into vivid expressions of joy. His work spans multiple disciplines and mediums within the art and design spaces – not limited to; architecture, seismic installations, print, fashion, textiles and homewares – with colour and joy infused into every design and project. Central to Ilori’s ethos is the belief in nurturing one’s dreams, a principle instilled by his parents - often symbolised through the recurring motif of trees, evoking the patience and hope it takes for ideas to bloom over time.

This dreamscape manifests at every scale: from reimagined playgrounds and illuminated bridges to supermarket shopping bags emblazoned with motivational slogans and kaleidoscopic high-tea stands. For Ilori, the world is not just a canvas – it’s a fertile ground for possibility, where design becomes a vehicle for growth, joy, and transformation.

The allure of Ilori’s work lies in its unpredictability: you never quite know what form it will take next. Ilori's own journey mirrors this spirit. Though trained in furniture design, it was a foundational course that sparked his curiosity about crafting entire landscapes. Recognised during his time at London Metropolitan University for his distinct storytelling through objects, he received the Emerging Design Medal for his vision. After a stint at an architecture firm, he received support from the Prince’s Trust, a pivotal moment when he realised that he was living out the wishes of his own mantra. Since then, his universe has expanded: from basketballs to umbrellas, pop-ups to large-scale installations, his evolving design language draws on Nigerian parables and verbal traditions, fusing heritage with hope.

To honour Ilori’s profound connection to colour, the answer was clear: why make just one watch when you can create three? This vibrant enterprise was Yinka’s first watch collaboration and became a poetic journey across three timepieces, each inspired by Ilori’s guiding mantra. Entitled “Grow Your Dreams”, the series explores three themes, each watch named as such: Sun, Nature, and Water – three limited editions of 400 pieces each.

Each model bursts with mismatched colour through its rubber straps: Sun pairs luminous yellow and green; Water blends deep and sky blues; Nature contrasts bold purple with red. Every strap is further detailed with stamped leaf patterns, echoing Ilori’s dreamscape and philosophy. Each version also comes with a second interchangeable white strap, for those occasions when the mismatched colour straps might be just a bit too much.

Grow Your Dreams isn’t just a celebration of colour or identity, rather, a call to nurture our ambitions like seeds, to believe in their potential, and to remember: no dream is beyond us, it is only waiting for its time to bloom.