‘It’s so awesome to see our South African designers’ pieces shining like stars!’ said Executive Creative Director of Clout/SA, Tracy Lynch, who was in the British city to install the exhibition, which formed part of the Nando’s UK Indaba in Manchester. There are currently more than 500 Nando’s restaurants in the UK and Ireland, and the Nando’s UK Indaba is a space for knowledge-sharing within the group.

‘I’m so excited for all to learn more about our design programme and our designers in South Africa who have walked the HYD journey,’ Lynch said. She curated the display and included designs by Khosi Letaba in collaboration with Laurie Wiid van Heerden of Wiid Design, a ceramic screen by 2022 HYD winners Kalki Design Studio, and an incredible collection of beaded and woven lights by Thabisa Mjo, winner of the very first Nando’s HYD in 2016. In addition, new patterns by Spamandla Mdunyelwa and Thandazani Nofingxana and a collection of iconic school chairs made by Naturalis layered with patterns by the HYD pattern designers set the scene.

Lynch said, ‘Our pattern designers earn a licence fee for the usage of the patterns each time they’re included on a piece of furniture or on walls in Nando’s restaurants, which earns them passive income. We’re also launching our very first collection of woven fabric using the patterns of some of the most popular HYD pattern designers’ expressions, a new line for interior designers who work on Nando’s restaurants globally.’

While she was in the UK, Lynch visited a few of Nando’s recently refurbed restaurants, as well as their offices and new builds in London. All feature iconic pieces of South African design, many of which were surfaced through Nando’s HYD.

The Nando’s HYD business accelerator opportunity stands as the centrepiece of the Nando’s Design Programme and ranks among South Africa’s premier biennial design initiatives. Over the years, this platform has launched numerous local design careers, including that of Thabisa Mjo from Mash.T Design, one of the inaugural competition winners. Mjo described the opportunity as nothing short of transformative, citing it as the catalyst that ‘changed the trajectory of my entire life’.

Managed by Clout/SA – a purpose-driven enterprise, creative agency and business-to-business (B2B) market-maker for South African design – on behalf of Nando’s, the HYD opportunity embodies a profound ambition: Clout/SA seeks to ignite the emergence of a globally recognised South African design category brand by nurturing the next generation of young South African design talent.

If the magic made in Mancs is anything to go by, they’re doing just that!