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.

Contributors

Host

Kutloano Skosana Ricci

Shades and Layers began while South African-born host, Kutloano Skosana Ricci was living in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was imagined as a love letter to all the seemingly invisible Black and other Women Of Color women who were doing amazing things with their careers and lives in the Nordics.

This is a continuation of Kutloano's dedication to amplifying Black women's stories, a journey she started straight out of university with two business partners, Maria McCloy and Dzino. Black Rage Productions was another love letter and a celebration of post-Apartheid urban culture. This started out as an online magazine, which evolved into a television production house and eventually a record label, Outrageous Records.

Together with a successful radio career, this paved the way for Kutloano’s ever-evolving multifaceted career that has played out in different private and public sector entities in South African and Europe.

https://shadesandlayers.com/about