Yinka Ilori designs trio of watches to "make you smile every time you check the time"

British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori has designed three colourful watches for Swiss brand MB&F as part of its MAD Editions range.

Named Grow Your Dreams, the collection consists of three different-coloured watches, named Sun, Nature and Water, which will each be available in a limited number through a raffle.

According to Ilori, he designed each of the watches using his trademark colourful aesthetic to bring a sense of joy for people checking the time.

"When I set out to design this watch, my goal was to make something that brings joy and uplifts people," Ilori told Dezeen. "Every detail has a purpose and tells a story."

"It's not just about how it looks, but what it represents, which is at the heart of everything I do," he continued.

"Colour also plays a huge role in my work, so I made sure each model really popped. I wanted to design something vibrant that sparks conversation or makes you smile every time you check the time."

Each of the watches was informed by nature, with the Sun timepiece predominantly a luminous yellow and green, the Water watch combining dark and sky blues, and the Nature contrasting purple and red.

"I've always loved being outdoors, even as a kid, it's where I feel the most free and creative," said Ilori.

"It gives me the space to dream and explore ideas, and that energy really shaped the look and feel of this collection."

"Grow Your Dreams is about nurturing our ambitions like seeds, believing in their potential and watching them grow," he continued.

"The concept is woven into each colourway and design, with details like leaf and tree motifs on the blade and straps acting as symbols of hope and growth, something you catch every time you check your wrist."

Each of the watches has mismatched straps attached to a reworked case that was based on the Swiss-made LaJoux-Perret mechanism that was used for the first time on the MAD 1S.

The titanium case was anodised to transform its colour into three bright hues of yellow, blue and green, for the Nature, Water and Sun watches respectively.

The words Grow Your Dreams were etched on the mechanism, while the numbers surrounding the timepiece were designed by Ilori.

The pieces are the first watches designed by Ilori, who began as a furniture designer and is best known for his colourful installations.

According to the designer, the smaller scale of the project forced him to be precise with every detail.

"This was my first ever watch collab, so it was a very different type of canvas for me," he said.

"I'm used to working on much larger scales like public art, installations and sculpture, so shifting to something this small and technical meant thinking in a totally new way," he continued.

"I think the biggest challenge was figuring out how to tell a story in such a small space… haha! But honestly, I loved that, it pushed me to be more intentional with every detail."

The collaboration is the latest in the MAD Editions range, which was launched as a more accessible line to complement MB&F's high-end timepieces.

It came about after MB&F owner Maximilian Büsser reached out to Ilori on LinkedIn.

"Funny enough, it all started on LinkedIn!" said the designer. "I have to say, I don't often check my messages – though I do now! –but one day I randomly scrolled through and saw a message from Max."

"He said he would be interested in collaborating and wanted to share more about his work. Shortly after, I went to Switzerland and we sat down to talk about creating something special and unique together."

London-based Ilori, who won the 2020 Emerging Design Medal at the London Design Medals, recently collaborated with The North Face on a clothing collection.

He also recently wrapped the Piccadilly Circus fountain in a pair of bright orange, Pegasus-topped plinths, while type foundry British Standard Type created a "bright and playful" font family for the designer.

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