Creative agency Born Ugly today announces that the World Curry Festival is set to return with a fresh new identity and a frankly crucial mission: to save curry.
The reinvented movement, which kicked off with a celebratory Gala dinner at The Royal Armouries, Leeds, aims to celebrate curry’s rich cultural heritage while addressing the challenges facing the cuisine, with 30% of UK curry restaurants closing in the last decade.
Born Ugly has created the identity for Curry Forever and has worked alongside Sparq Events to design how the concept will come to life.
Supported by Leeds City Council, the collaboration seeks to safeguard curry for future generations by hitting a series of objectives:
- Raise awareness: Highlight the various factors threatening curry, including post-Brexit legislation and evolving tastes.
- Encourage home cooking: With 55% of Brits wanting to make more exciting foreign cuisines, the initiative hopes to promote confidence in cooking curry at home with accessible ingredients and recipes.
- Support restaurants: Address labour shortages and the decline in curry restaurants.
- Unite communities: Use curry as a catalyst for important conversations and community bonding through a planned podcast series.
Sarah Dear CEO of Born Ugly said: “When Zulfi asked us if we wanted to revamp our original World Curry Festival identity that we did back in 2010, we were excited to refresh this for a new digital world and audience. The threat to curry as we know it, is now so monumental that together with Zulfi, we turned this into a movement to save this national cultural treasure and make sure we all have Curry Forever!”
Zulfi Karim, founder of the World Curry Festival and the Curry Forever movement added: “Curry has been a part of British culture for over 200 years, with the first curry house opening in 1810. At Curry Forever, our mission is to ensure that the history and legacy of the Great British Curry remain integral to our culture for generations to come. Curry is more than just food – it brings people together, sparks conversations, and is a vibrant, exciting cuisine to cook, share, and enjoy.
“We’re thrilled with the new brand and identity that Born Ugly has created. We believe it will engage a far broader audience, capturing the imagination of both the young and old alike. None of this would have been possible without the incredible creativity and passion of the team in Leeds.”
