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
Modern Gesture and Slow Design with Candice Lawrence (SE, E7)
Shades and Layers returns for the New Year and wishes you all the good things you desire in 2022.
This is episode 7 of Season 3 of Shades and Layers: On Creative Entrepreneurship…
Today my guest is Candice Lawrence, Founder and Design Maker at the Cape Town-based furniture and interiors company, Modern Gesture.
So, the picture of successful entrepreneurship that we are often sold is that of fast paced growth - you know, the famous hockey stick sales and growth projection, millions of dollars in venture capital investments and a superstar celebrity CEO. Nothing wrong with that, if that’s your vibe, but there’s a lot to be said for a different approach.
Candice and her team of four have been plugging away at their designs for the past six years and they are growing steadily and sustainably while achieving international success. I love the story of how Modern Gesture started out as a hobby. Most importantly, the impact that this team is having, not only aesthetically, but within their community, is truly meaningful and visible.
After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Surface Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, she soon won a prize for her now famous Woven Necklace Lampshade. That win catapulted her into full-time entrepreneurship, and the rest as they say, is history.
Starting with an in-depth description of her work, Candice shares her story generously in this conversation and I hope you will walk away wiser and as inspired as I was after listening.
Thank you Candice, it was an absolute pleasure chatting with you.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Nando's
Woven Necklace Lampshade
NEWSLETTER, stay in the loop and subscribe to our newsletter
SUPPORT this work so that we can keep it free. Become a MONTHLY SUPPORTER
LISTEN ON Apple and Spotify
FOLLOW US ON Instagram and Facebook
