In this episode of Colour-Full, Sena and Stacy sit down with Lesego Tlhabi, the brilliant mind behind Coconut Kelz, for a conversation that felt like a catch-up among besties. We laugh the whole way through while unpacking race, privilege, dating, fashion, and what the future looks like for Lesego beyond satire.
We spoke about her lived experiences and how they shaped the creation of Coconut Kelz, highlighting how the personal is always political. We chat about everything from navigating microaggressions in South Africa and Europe to the realities of interracial friendships and relationships.
Lesego also delves into her newfound experience of being in corporate Europe - sharing the challenges, surprises, and lessons she’s picking up along the way. And of course, we get into fashion and who she’d put on the cover if she ever got to style Vogue.
This episode is full of wit, insight, and plenty of Woolies water-level crispness. Talk about living in Full Colour!
Chapters:
00:00 Lesego paints her nails and the birth of Coconut Kelz
07:26 Assimilation and respectability politics
09:05 There’s no one way to be black
14:25 Names in the spirit of Coconut Kelz
20:46 Online spaces as authentic reflections of real life
25:24 Dating in Paris
28:27 The audacity of South African men
30:58 Interracial dating as a black woman
34:58 Career pivoting
41:21 Multiculturalism in corporate space
43:22 Racism in Paris and beyond
47:25 Who would Lesego put on the cover of Vogue?