Nando's Hot Young Designers launches 2022 call for entry

Image supplied: Nando's has opened entries for the Hot Young Designers competition

This face-off seeks to unearth saucy new designs for Nando’s restaurants around the world and fire up the careers of emerging local creatives.

Entrants need to design a condiment unit, which will display Nando’s mouth-watering Peri-Peri sauces.

Nando's HYD talent search is managed by Clout/SA, a creative agency and business-to-business market-maker for South African design, while the competition is sponsored by Nando’s.

The winner and 10 finalists will benefit from mentorship as well as an opportunity for their piece to feature on the Portal to Africa, Nando's online marketplace where interior designers working on Nando's restaurants around the globe can shop for original pieces of lighting and furniture.

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Previous competitions saw designers bring the heat as they battled it out to create the best lighting solutions, patterns and benches. Those who proved they’ve got the sauce to make the Nando’s legacy live on include Katlego Tshuma (with her Sangu Bench inspired by traditional African grass mats) in 2020; Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe (with her vibrant, flowing pattern treatment) in 2018; and Thabisa Mjo (with her Tutu 2.0 pendant fitting) and Samantha Foaden (with her beaded Buhle Bulb) jointly in 2016.

“The biennial Nando’s HYD competition is a highlight of the design sector’s calendar. Every two years we meet and get to know 10 finalists, and these 10 finalists are mentored by Clout/SA. They are then linked to opportunities within the Nando’s ecosystem such as prototyping, business mentorship and access to a global market to name a few highlights,” said Tracy Lynch, creative director of the Nando’s Design programme and Clout/SA.

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“Many of these designs - such as Thabisa Mjo’s Tutu 2.0 pendant - go on to become best-sellers on the Nando’s Portal to Africa, driving revenue to the designers’ start-up businesses, and helping grow this exciting sector through inclusive access to opportunities within the Nando’s global market. Nando’s HYD is about changing lives by making sure we utilise the platform we have to shine a light on creativity and opportunity!” Lynch continued.

Up-and-coming designers are urged to come to the table and show off their sauce by entering vibrant, yet functional, conversation pieces that find inspiration from the African continent, their home.

Go here for the online entry form and entry details. Entries close on 31 May 2022.