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
Changing Narratives with Wacy Zacarias and Djamila DeSousa (S6, E6)
Today we conclude our fashion conversations by visiting, Changing Narratives in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique.
Changing Narratives is the love child of Mozambican business and creative partners, Wacy Zacarias and Djamila DeSousa. These Mozambican textile and accessirues designers are on a mission to preserve traditional Mozambican and more broadly, African craft and knowledge through their brands, Karingana Textiles and Woogui.
Wacy and Djamila started working together in 2015, back when wax print was still the most visible representation of African textile. And as we’ve previously mentioned, these fabrics are, ironically, not even African-made or owned.
In this context, these two women took inspiration from their local natural environment, existing production systems, local traditional designs and stories and decided to do things differently.
In this conversation, we focus on their journey as pioneers in textile design, the sustainable fashion movement, we discuss one of their projects working with refugees in northern Mozambique, they also give their take on what “Made In Africa” means for fashion labels and designers.
Enjoy the episode 💜💜💜
LINKS AND MENTIONS
Made51 - Karingana Textiles is the 1st Mozambican Local Social Enterprise to be part of the platform MADE51, a platform by UNHCR that puts refugee-made products into the global market.
Capulana/Kapulana - versatile traditional cloth used in Mozambique and other parts of Southern Africa as either a skirt or baby carrier. Apart from practical uses, it is also a status symbol as mentioned in the article linked here.
Taibo Bacar - famous Mozambican designer who introduced Wacy and Djamila when they were forging their careers.
Ambiente - massive annual international consumer goods trade show in Germany.
Maison & Object - international decor and design marketplace
A GIFT FOR YOU
Otrium is digital platform that’s on a mission to sell all unsold clothing. What that means for you, is that you can buy end of season clothes from top brands, at prices that suit your wallet and the clothes don’t end up in a landfill. Shades and Layers listeners get a 20% discount at checkout when using the code SHADES20. Go to otrium.com for top fashion brands at affordable prices and use the code SHADES20 at checkout
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