10 September 2024: The search for the country’s hottest screen designs is nearing completion as Nando’s HYD announces its top five finalists for 2024. Kirsty Moolman, Tanisha Neill, Simphiwe Mlambo, Mpumelelo Nyuswa and Walter Train will now participate in an intensive ‘Laboratory of Learning’ before one stand-out candidate is selected to receive ongoing mentorship and business coaching.
Facilitated by Clout/SA, the Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) talent search is a bi-annual staple on South Africa’s design calendar. This time around, entrants were invited to answer a ‘Screen Dream’ brief to create a screen or room divider that is not only relevant and functional, but also decorative and distinct, adding to the overall ambiance of a Nando’s restaurant.
Entries closed in June 2024 and just fewer than 200 emerging designers from across the country submitted screen designs for initial consideration. A shortlist of 10 promising designer-makers was selected at the beginning of August 2024, namely, Nicky van den Aardweg, Josh and Pia McFindlay, Margo Kritzinger, Annabelle Brown, Sarafina Maluleka and the aforementioned five finalists. All were invited to a one-day immersion at Nando’s Central Kitchen in Lorentzville, Johannesburg, on Friday 6 September 2024.
‘The HYD programme is dedicated to discovering and nurturing the next generation of South African design talent, helping them advance in their design and entrepreneurial journeys,’ says Nando’s Design Curator Tracy Lynch, who also happens to be Clout/SA’s Creative Director.