Shades & Layers
Shades and Layers is a podcast focused on black women entrepreneurs from across the globe. It is a platform for exploring issues and challenges around business ownership, representation and holistic discussions about the meaning of sustainability in an increasingly complex global context. Conversations are wide- ranging and serve not only as a Masterclass in Entrepreneurship but also provide wisdom and tools for Successful Living. It is a space for meaningful conversation, a place for black and other women of color to be fully human and openly share their quirks and vulnerabilities.
Guests include prominent figurers in the beauty, fashion and wellness industries both in the Northern Hemisphere and the Global South.
Dr. Theo Mothoa-Frendo of USO Skincare discusses her journey from being product junkie to creating an African science-based skincare range. Taryn Gill of The Perfect Hair is a brand development whizz who discusses supply chain and distribution of her haircare brands. Katonya Breux discusses melanin and sunscreen and how she addresses the needs of a range of skin tones with her Unsun Cosmetics products.
We discuss inclusion in the wellness industry with Helen Rose Skincare and Yoga and Nectarines Founder , Day Bibb. Abiola Akani emphasizes non-performance in yoga with her IYA Wellness brand and Anesu Mbizho shares her journey to yoga and the ecosystem she's created through her business The Nest Space.
Fashion is all about handmade, custom made and circular production with featured guests like fashion designer Maria McCloy of Maria McCloy Accessories; Founder and textile/homeware designer Nkuli Mlangeni Berg of The Ninevites as well as Candice Lawrence, founder of the lighting design company Modern Gesture. These are just a few the conversations on the podcast over the past three years.
Shades & Layers
Art for Healing and Self-Acceptance with Puleng Mongale(S3, E8)
This week, Shades and Layers is proud to present the story of Digital Collage Artist, Puleng Mongale.
Puleng grew up in the cultural melting pot of Soweto township. Her young years there are filled with joy, but they have also been a source of pain and a feeling of displacement. While Soweto is a cultural melting pot, it is also a place where South Africa's cultural and language groups compete for superiority on an imaginary cultural totem.
In our conversation we discuss dealing with displacement, radical self-acceptance, using art as a tool for healing.
Puleng has always had a passion for the arts (especially writing and fashion) and started out as a copy writer at an advertising agency. During this period, she was also sharpening her skills as a creative director and exploring photography. After being laid off at the start of the Covid pandemic, she bought herself a camera, learned to use it and never looked back. In our conversation, we discuss her various projects, putting a monetary value on her work and also how to approach life with curiosity.
I hope you'll enjoy this amazing conversation and will be inspired to follow your own authentic journey into the things that you're passionate about.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Latitudes - Online Art platform that represents Puleng and many other cutting edge contemporary artists from the African continent.
Seshoeshoe (Seshweshwe) - Cotton fabric named after the Basotho King Moshoeshoe and originally bearing designs inspired by traditional murals in Lesotho. Today it is a fashion staple at traditional weddings across South Africa and can be seen at other formal occasions as well as everyday fashion.
Jake - Famous and iconic public swimming pool in Orlando West area of Soweto. The link goes to a photograph captured by South African photographer Jodi Beiber.
Badimo - A SeSotho word meaning ancestors or spirits.
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