The British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori brings the markets, languages and cultures of north London to a kit that reads “We Are Tottenham, Wherever We Go”
Tottenham Hotspur has turned to Yinka Ilori MBE for its 2026-27 away shirt. The British-Nigerian artist and designer, best known for recolouring public spaces and furniture with pattern drawn from his dual heritage, has produced a kit that treats the club’s neighbourhood as its subject. The sentiment is printed on the reverse: “We Are Tottenham, Wherever We Go.”
“This project is a celebration of belonging and the power of football to bring people together,” Ilori said. “For me, football is about the wider culture and the incredible sense of unity that comes from standing on the terraces, chanting alongside thousands of others. I wanted the design to honour Tottenham Hotspur’s heritage while capturing that collective joy and spirit. The ‘Never Far From Home’ message really resonated with me, reflecting how football has the power to make you feel at home, wherever you are.”
The design takes its cue from Tottenham itself, a district shaped by creativity, individuality and a strong sense of community. Its colours and visual language draw on the area’s cultural identity alongside the influences that have formed Ilori’s own practice, which has long concerned itself with identity, optimism and the connections between people. Football, in his view, does the same work across cultures and generations.
Ilori’s relationship with north London is lived rather than researched. He grew up in Islington, where he learned to value the area’s mix of cultures and communities, and has more recently spent time in Tottenham as Artist in Residence at Heart of Hale, Argent Related’s development in Tottenham Hale. Visiting its markets and absorbing its food, sounds and languages, he found in the area a reflection of the ideas that run through his work: that community matters, and that our surroundings shape who we are.
The shirt extends a practice that already spans art, architecture, furniture, product design, books and exhibitions. Ilori’s debut monograph, Chairman, released in September 2026, traces a decade of his chair practice, from material sourcing and restoration to surface intervention and conceptual development, with essays placing the work within conversations around diasporic identity, sustainability and contemporary design culture. An exhibition in Islington brings that body of chairs together in one place for the first time.
He also launched the Yinka Ilori Foundation in 2025, the year he was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry by the RSA, with a mission to build playful, inclusive and sustainable community spaces for children and young people. A graduate of London Metropolitan University in Furniture and Product Design, Ilori has exhibited internationally and runs his own line, Yinka Ilori Objects, producing limited-edition collectibles and everyday objects.
The 2026-27 away shirt is available now through Tottenham Hotspur’s retail platforms, in store and online at shop.tottenhamhotspur.com.
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© 2026 Yinka IIori, Tottenham Hotspur