Melbourne Fine-Diner Navi Has Teamed Up with Robert Gordon on a New Ceramics Collection

Owner and Head Chef of Navi Julian Hills is best-known for creating one of Melbourne's top restaurants down a quiet street in Yarraville. But if you were to chat with Hills when dining out at Navi, you'd quickly learn of his passion for pottery.

Not only does the man totally change his highly creative degustations regularly, but he also finds the time to make ceramics out in his shed at home that are then used in the restaurant. If you've dined at Navi, then you've eaten off his plates, sipped from some of his cups and picked a canape or two from one of his platters.

Regulars often ask if they can buy these ceramics to take home, but Hills has never had the time to make enough to sell. A collaboration would be the only way to get his ceramics into the homes of Navi stans. And Bobby Gordon of Robert Gordon was more than willing to team up with Hills to create the Navi Home x Robert Gordon ceramic collection.

Together, the duo (who are both RMIT Fine Arts alumni) designed some dinner and side plates, bowls, platters and cups, all in a variety of colours and styles. Hills wanted these pieces to be inspired by the landscape near Navi and where he goes foraging for produce. This led to the creation of the marsh, docklands and low tide glazes. Each piece is slightly different from the next, as they pass through at least 12 people's hands during the process of being constructed — they aren't just made by machines.

The new collection also heroes sustainability. All the ceramics are made with clay from Bendigo, the Packenham pottery factory uses solar-assisted electric kilns, and rainwater is collected and used in the making of each piece.

Like Navi's degustations, these plates don't come cheap. But if they're anywhere near as popular as the 32-seat fine-diner that books out within minutes of releasing new tables, they'll be selling out fast.

To buy some pieces from the Navi Home x Robert Gordon ceramic collection, head to the store's website.