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?