Yinka Ilori Launches Foundation to Bring Joy and Creativity to Communities Worldwide

British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE has launched the Yinka Ilori Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to reimagining how communities everywhere access joy, creativity, and opportunity. Rooted in co-creation and sustainability, the Foundation will build permanent community spaces that empower young people, celebrate local identity, and encourage self-sufficiency.

The Foundation’s first flagship site opens soon in Nigeria, marking Ilori’s return to his ancestral home. Designed with and for local residents, the space will feature modular play structures and a full year of free workshops spanning music, craft, storytelling, entrepreneurship, and fabrication—ensuring the site remains vibrant, inclusive, and locally maintained.

“Growing up, play gave me freedom to dream,” Ilori said. “That sense of imagination and joy is something my mother instilled in me, and it’s at the heart of why I launched the Foundation. I want to create spaces that empower, connect, and inspire. We’re starting in Nigeria, but this is just the beginning.”

Expanding his celebrated design language into social impact, Ilori’s Foundation aims to use design as a tool for change—transforming his joyful, colour-rich aesthetic into community-built environments that foster creativity and belonging.

The Foundation plans to establish sites across Africa, the UK, the US, the Middle East, and Asia, each shaped by local culture and supported by long-term programming.

Advisors and trustees include Wale Adeyemi, Ellen Port, Péjú Oshin, and Peter Adjaye, with June Sarpong serving as ambassador. Key partners such as the Idan & Batia Ofer Family Foundation, 528Hz, and Nobu Hotel London Portman Square have supported the Foundation’s inaugural launch.