From discarded chairs to a world of colour

A distinctive brand is one thing. Building a creative world people recognise as yours? That takes more than a good eye.

Yinka Ilori MBE has made a career out of seeing possibility where other people might not.

His early work transformed discarded chairs into colourful pieces packed with stories, drawing on his British-Nigerian heritage, childhood memories and the parables he grew up with.

Then the chairs became something bigger.

Today, Yinka’s unmistakable use of colour, pattern and storytelling stretches across public spaces, exhibitions, global brand collaborations and his own line, Yinka Ilori Objects. His work has brought people together, transformed everyday places and built a creative identity that is very difficult to scroll past.

So naturally, we have questions.

For our next Changemakers event, Yinka is joining us at Virgin HQ to talk about finding your creative voice, turning ideas into a business and building something distinctive without losing sight of where you started.

We’ll get into the experiments, opportunities and inevitable moments of doubt behind the finished work, and what founders can learn from a career built by doing things differently.

His debut monograph, Chairman, brings more than a decade of that journey together. But this conversation is about what happens beyond the beautiful finished product.

Spoiler: finding your thing is only the beginning.

What we’ll get into

Finding what makes you different.
Yinka’s work is instantly recognisable. We’ll explore how he found his creative voice and how founders can build an identity that feels genuinely their own.

Turning ideas into a business.
Creativity is one thing. Making it commercially sustainable is another. We’ll talk about growing an idea, choosing the right opportunities and building a business without losing what made it interesting.

Growing without losing yourself.
From discarded chairs to exhibitions, products and global collaborations, Yinka’s world has grown considerably. We’ll explore how to embrace bigger opportunities while staying true to the ideas and values people connected with in the first place.

What to expect on the night

6pm: Come on in
A few nibbles and a room full of founders. Your laptop will survive without you.

6.30pm: Quick hello. Then, Yinka.
We’ll share what’s happening across Virgin StartUp and our Community before getting into the conversation. Bring questions. There’ll be plenty of time for those too.

8pm: Talk done. Chat on.
Mingle and meet someone you didn’t know at 6pm.

8.30pm: Home time
Ideally with a new connection, a fresh idea and slightly more confidence in whatever makes your business a little bit different.

The important bits

Date: Wednesday 18 November 2026
Time: 6pm–8.30pm
Where: Virgin HQ, Soho, London

Come curious. Leave thinking differently about creativity, identity and how to build something people know could only have come from you.

Know a founder who’d want in? Pass it on. Brilliant rooms are made by the people in them.

On the panel