Bonolo Helen Chepape and Simphiwe Mnguni are setting South Africa’s design scene on fire, which makes these dynamic young women perfect partners for us at Nando’s!
All about Bonolo
Bonolo is a talented 25-year old who was born and raised in Rustenburg in the Northwest province. Bonolo’s mom ran a tuck-shop, and during her school holidays Bonolo would help her mom. She would sit at the shop and draw to pass the time, which is where her love for design began.
Bonolo went on to get a BA degree in graphic design at Midrand Graduate Institute. She’s not only a great designer – Bonolo enjoys all forms of creativity, from set design to photography, visual art, illustration, and (her true love) textile design.
“I love all things print, vibrant and colourful and this has become a key trait in my work,” she says, adding that she believes that life is fun and beautiful, and it is best embraced in colour, which is why she brings this colour to her work.
Bonolo founded Lulasclan, an interior décor and design studio that creates bespoke scatter cushions inspired by women and celebrates culture in a New-African contemporary way.
“There is a need for culture and heritage to be preserved in our homes, and our homes should be able to tell our stories, be a reflection of where we come from, and be a reference of where we are going,” she explains.
We love Bonolo’s work – it has real flavour! That’s why we’ve teamed up with her on a variety of projects.
Bonolo designed the beautiful SMEG fridges for Nando’s 30th birthday celebrations in 2017. This led to her being invited to join the Mr Price Home COLAB project.
She was also a finalist in the 2018 Nando’s Hot Young Designers Competition (where she put her passion for textiles to great use!). She is the woman behind the aprons worn by our Nando’s grillers (national and international) for the 2018 Nando’s Grillers’ Challenge.
Shining a light on Simphiwe
Simphiwe is a Ndebele woman who takes pride in her culture and celebrates it through her passion for design.
Simphiwe graduated from the AAA School of Advertising in 2014 and today is a passionate, creative designer and illustrator at Sunshinegun, a creative design agency in the heart of Johannesburg. Under the mentorship of two passionate Creative Partners, George and Bronwen Rautenbach, she flexes her creativity by conceptualising and implementing creative solutions for a range of diverse Nando’s projects both locally and internationally.
Creative collaborators
Together, Bonolo and Simphiwe are known as Nolo and Simps and are the creative team that designed our global Nando’s crockery, which recently won a Loeries Award!
Using bright colours and geometric patterns, this dynamic duo developed a vibrant range of crockery that proudly represents Nando’s and our Southern African roots in casas around the world.
Keep looking out for more of Bonolo and Simphiwe’s burning hot designs!
