Last night at MCM’s Rodeo Drive outpost, CULTURED and the luxury fashion house came together to celebrate Yinka Ilori’s latest exhibition. Titled “THERE IS GOOD IN ALL OF US,” the show finds the British-Nigerian designer reinterpreting MCM’s classic Visetos pattern in a series of his bold, upcycled furniture.
Against the store’s gold-plated interior, the 10-piece chair set playfully pops. The Visetos print, presented in its classic khaki and black combination as well as cherry reds and bright yellows, adds an edge to the artist’s refurbished furniture.
As part of the brand’s Upcycle Project—a line that turns scraps from seasons past into limited-edition bags for the present—the initiative complements Illori’s commitment to designing furniture that has a positive environmental impact.
The seating itself has had its life cycle extended significantly; it was originally salvaged in London, where Ilori is based, before traveling to Seoul for a 2023 presentation at the city’s Frieze fair, and is now on to the States. Ilori’s optimism is baked into his craft: kaleidoscopes were included with each chair, encouraging guests to interact with the pieces.
After a cocktail hour spent conversing over MCM and Ilori’s work, select attendees were invited to a private dinner at The West Hollywood EDITION's Ardor. Model and Project Runway alum Tanisha Harper was in attendance, as were actors Sam Corlett and Joey Zauzig, comedian Violet Benson, MCM's Ariana Milton, entrepreneur Adam Drawas, Everett Williams, and stylists Lindsay Flores and Cristina Ehrlich.
The art and design worlds showed up in numbers rivaling their Hollywood counterparts: writer Mehdi Dakhli, photographer Munachi Osegbu, Sean Kelly’s Abraham Medellin, advisor Nicole Fuller, interior designer Marco Zamora, and curator Larry Ossei-Mensah joined the evenings festivities. With a vegetable-forward menu, the restaurant treated diners to seasonal farmer’s market favorites in a gorgeous botanical setting, and Ilori sent guests home with a limited edition gift bag by the artist, a perfect nightcap to an evening of feel-good design.
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