Shades & Layers
Shades and Layers is a storytelling platform celebrating Black women and women of colour who are building something of their own — on the African continent and across the diaspora.
The podcast launched in 2020 and is now more than 100 episodes strong. In 2025, the show was nominated for Best Long-Time Podcast at the Black Podcasting Awards.
In each conversation, host Kutloano Skosana sits down with founders to explore business ownership, representation, and what sustainability and success really mean in a complex, interconnected world. The conversations are wide-ranging — part masterclass in entrepreneurship, part wisdom for living well — and always a space for women to be fully human: to share the quirks, the doubts, and the vulnerabilities behind the highlight reel.
These days, Shades and Layers is two things woven together. Alongside the podcast, Kutloano — now exploring a new chapter of her own in Italy — sends Life Notes: honest monthly letters on identity, motherhood, reinvention, and the business of building a life.
Shades and Layers’ founding philosophy is: a story well told can change your life, you don't need big accolades for your entrepreneurial journey to matter.
The guests span beauty, fashion, and wellness, North and South: Dr. Theo Mothoa-Frendo on building a science-based African skincare range with USO; Taryn Gill of The Perfect Hair on supply chains and brand-building; Katonya Breux of Unsun Cosmetics on melanin and sunscreen for every skin tone; Abiola Akanni of IYA Well on non-performance in yoga; and designers like the late Maria McCloy of her eponymous fashion label, Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg of The Ninevites, and Candace Lawrence of Modern Gesture, championing handmade, custom, and circular production.
Whether you're here to listen, to read, or to build something of your own — welcome to the circle.
Shades & Layers
The Ninevites with Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg (S3, E1)
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LOVE AFRICA
In this first episode of Season 3, Sweden-based South African designer, Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg discusses her take on Sustainability, Collaborative Partnerships on and Artisanship. Nkuli is an award-winning designer and Creative Social Entrepreneur, who uses her collaborative platform The Ninevites, to tell stories about her beloved South Africa, amplify African voices and to reignite interest in the work of weavers and other underappreciated traditional craft makers.
Nkuli grew up in Kagiso, in the west of Johannesburg where she lived with her grandmother and her cousins. This is where she spent most of her time daydreaming and cultivating a love for fashion and the creative industries. She was also subconsciously taking in the influences of her Ndebele and Swati heritage, the echoes of which can be seen in her work. What you also get from the story behind each Ninevites rug or throw cushion is Nkuli's love for archives and deep research into South African and other African history.
She deeply believes in creativity for social good and in this conversation we discuss slow design, sustainability and being conscious about how we consume goods. You are going to love her personal story.
Mentions and Links :
Nkuli was recently part of a new international design event, South Sweden Design Days, where she brought together her fellow South African designers to exhibit their work. In this interview she discusses her approach to creative entrepreneurship and preserving traditional crafts.
Thomas Sankara
Robert Sobukwe
Miriam Makeba
Winnie Madikizela Mandela
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