(Rene
Forbay)
The winners of the first Clout Designers’
Industry Days Fired Up By Nando’s are announced. All the winners, bar one, are
from KwaZulu-Natal.
Chosen from a shortlist of 26 designers,
four young creatives have been announced as the winners of the first Clout
Designers’ Industry Days Fired Up By Nando’s. These rising talents have shown
the necessary potential for inclusion in the Nando’s Portal to Africa and are
set to receive year-long mentorship from the Nando’s Design Programme and a
complimentary exhibition stand at 100% Design South Africa 2020, Africa’s leading
design trade show.
The Clout Designers’ Industry Days Fired Up
By Nando’s took place on August 9 and 10, 2019, at 100% Design South Africa
2019, which ran alongside Decorex Joburg at the Gallagher Convention Centre
from August 7 to 11, 2019. There were 26 pitch presentations over the two days.
These sessions were the culmination of a nationwide call for entry that closed
on July 31, 2019. South African designers were invited to pitch concepts and
prototypes in the hope of having these new designs selected for inclusion in
Nando’s online catalogue and purchasing platform - the Portal to Africa - and
ultimately, commissioned for the interiors of Nando’s restaurants around the
world.
(Siyanda
Mbele. Pic by
Njabulo Magubane)
KZN designers Rene Forbay of RF Designs,
Siyanda Mbele of Pinda, and Khosi Leteba joined by Glorinah Mabaso of LED
Interiors in Pretoria, caught the judges’ attention during pitching sessions
and have been named as the winners. These sessions were judged by a panel which
included Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of the Nando’s Design Programme;
Michael Spinks, the Property and Development Director at Nando’s South Africa;
Laurence Brick and Cathy O’Clery of Platform Creative Agency, and Malibongwe
Tyilo, the editor of Clout and associate editor of Maverick Life.
Mbele was chosen for his range of chair and
lighting designs, all of which are influenced by traditional Zulu culture -
from the hierarchical planning of its architecture to the symbolism behind key
shapes such as diamonds and triangles.
Forbay caught the eye of the judges for
her Ndebele furniture range, which takes direction from Ndebele women’s attire,
particularly jewellery, and the bold graphics that adorn the walls of homes.
(Design
by Khosi Leteba)
Leteba made the final cut thanks to the
Bodulo Collection, which is inspired by the traditional Sotho residence known
as the Mokhoro.
The panel selected Mabaso’s vividly-patterned surface designs
that are applied to tables, screens and cabinets, and which draw on a rich
heritage of Venda patterns and music as a means of communication.
“Giant congratulations are in order!”
states Lynch. “The standard was high, but these four designers stood out! We
are beyond excited that they are the winners of our first-ever pitch sessions.
We are delighted to have the opportunity to walk part of this journey with them
as they evolve and grow to become world-class, distinctly South African
designers!”
The Nando’s Design Programme carries the
ultimate aim of creating a category brand for South African design with
short-term goals including uplifting the local design sector by developing
individual creative businesses. This is achieved through the brand’s ongoing
support of various vehicles such as the Nando’s Hot Young Designer talent
search competitions; the Nando’s Business Development Support Programme; the
Nando’s Portal to Africa; and the print magazine Clout and its attendant social
media presence.
To date, the Nando’s Portal to Africa has
facilitated more than R26million worth of sales, making it the country’s
largest exporter of South African design. Success stories include 2,453 chairs,
1,040 tables and 1,094 lights being sold all over the world. Nando’s does not
profit nor does it retain any intellectual property over the designs.
“This deep commitment on the part of
Nando’s has been expressed over a period of five years and will continue as an
important aspect of the business,” Spinks comments. The initiative is
purpose-led and integral to the business’s value proposition – supporting local
design is a key differentiator for the brand.
With 2,500 restaurants across the globe all
requiring interior design services, Nando’s has a clear demand. The aim of the
recent pitching sessions was to identify new designs that could be supplied via
the portal. With expansion of the catalogue in mind, Nando’s has gone beyond
its initial commitment to working with only the four winners chosen and has now
expressed that it intends to work with all the designers who presented at the
Clout Designers’ Industry Days fired up by Nando’s.
“We are thrilled with the outcome,” states
Lynch. “We were blown away by the standard of the designs presented and the
passion and professional manner in which all shortlisted candidates responded
to the opportunity. Because of the extraordinary standard, we have committed to
working with all of our shortlisted candidates. This will happen across our
various platforms, which include the Portal to Africa online showcase and
ordering platform, and our Business Development Support Programme. In addition,
we will be connecting selected candidates with some of our existing
designer/maker partners to collaborate with and prototype their concept
designs.”
According to Tyilo: “This is an exciting
time for local design. The designs that were pitched gave us a peek at the
developing product design landscape informing the contemporary South African furniture
and lighting design aesthetic. One can’t resist the feeling that the South
African aesthetic is being redefined, not only for locals with a taste for the
vernacular in contemporary design, but for a global marketplace that is ready
to see African craft and design beyond the curio.”
The Nando’s Design Programme will be
putting together unique business opportunities for each of the 26 shortlisted
candidates. Previously, the identification of local designers for inclusion on
the Portal to Africa was conducted via curation, but now this selection process
has been opened up more widely through the dedicated pitching sessions that
carry a national call to entry. This was the first of many such sessions that
are being planned, with the broader industry itself ultimately set to benefit.
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