After months of detailed submissions, intense judging and the nerves of the top 10 finalists, the winners of the Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) Talent Search have been announced as design duo Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar. The announcement was made at this year’s Basha Uhuru Youth Festival at Con Hill, Johannesburg.
Nikhil and Nindya are the owners of Kalki Ceramics, a design studio based in Durban specialising in bespoke handcrafted ceramic tiles. For their winning entry, they looked to South African flora and desert landscapes for inspiration. Their Cactus Server draws on the duo’s combined experience in ceramics, product design and architecture to create a rich and textural functional art piece.
“Utilizing Kalki Ceramics tiles in unique glazes reminiscent of fynbos, succulents and flowers endemic to South Africa, the Cactus Server blends contemporary form with organic materials and motifs to create a uniquely South African design,” says Nikhil.
The Cactus Server was chosen from over 120 entries into the fourth iteration of the Nando’s HYD competition, which saw young designers from across the nation answer the call to conceptualise a condiment unit to display the brand’s acclaimed Peri Peri sauces. The challenge was to do so in such a way that these sauces and their piquant ingredients, which form an intrinsic part of the Nando’s experience, remain visible and accessible to customers throughout their visit.
The prestigious panel of 17 local and global industry judges included Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in New York, Ngaire Blankenberg; Sophie Douglas, Director of Fusion Design and Architecture, UK; Paul Thrush, Co-Founder and Director of STAC Architecture, UK; and Karen Brumfield, Head of Buying at @home, and others.
“We’d like to thank the judges and all our entrants for their time and energy. The entries that made it to the finals are bold, authentic and unique, all characteristics we love in a piece of great South African design. This competition is about changing lives by making sure we utilise the platform we have to shine a light on creativity and opportunity!” enthuses Tracy Lynch, a Nando’s HYD judge and co-managing executive alongside Nokuzola Jenness of Clout/SA, the company that facilitates the Nando’s HYD competition and roll-out.
Nando’s HYD aims to unearth saucy new designs for Nando’s restaurants around the world, and fire up the careers of emerging local creatives. As such, it plays a key role in this ongoing industry development by functioning as launching pad for fresh young talent.
