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
Barali (From Maseru With Love) with Moliehi Mafantiri (S3, E2)
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In today’s episode, we head to the magical kingdom of Lesotho, where we meet Moliehi Mafantiri, the co-founder of the fast-growing sustainable homeware brand, Barali.
Moliehi co-founded the company with her high school friend, Mookho Ntho, with the aim of sharing Basotho culture through storytelling, preserving local traditions and contributing to the Lesotho textile industry in a sustainable way.
The two women also run a design studio, which funds their homeware brand, while amplifying their fellow Basotho’s voices, and they have started a digital story archive called Bonesa, which means to illuminate …
In between all of this Moliehi is pursuing her Masters in Environment and Society at the University of Pretoria.
We had this conversation just as she finished her mid-years, and we had the chance to explore topics like the challenges of finding local interest in sustainable design, the joys of reflecting traditions they treasure in their work with Barali and paying homage to other trailblazers who are choosing the road less traveled.
Mentions and Links in this episode
Fair Trade - this links to an article that cites the pros and cons of Fair Trade. In the context of this episode of Shades and Layers this topic is discussed with Barali's working environment in mind. They source directly from mohair producers in rural Lesotho and South Africa, with the intention of bringing fair, equitable and sustainable manufacturing practices to the Lesotho Textile industry. Could the Fair Trade model be one to copy?
Dianamarena (pl.)/Seanamarena (sing.) - Lesotho traditional blanket
Here is more about Mookho's art:
Mokorotlo Hat - Traditional Basotho hat made from grass.
Bonesa - A Sesotho word meaning 'to shine a light on or illuminate'. Follow the link to read the story 'Mapei' by author Moso Sematlane
Mohair Industry - for a deep dive. A good read if you're interested in some facts an figures about this fine textile.
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