THINGS
Curated by: Candice Brathwaite
The author, TV presenter, journalist and influencer who uses her voice to create change and spark conversations shares her thoughts on motherhood, style, and her creative motivations.
‘My biggest motivation is being able to create projects to help bring about change and hold doors open for Black women.’
Scrolling through Candice Brathwaite’s (she/her) Instagram, you can’t help but smile. It’s fun, fashionable and feel-good. It’s hard not to love her well-documented passion for eye-catching patterns and invigorating hues. ‘I do notice a slump in my mood if I have to spend a day wearing all black, so being playful with colour and print keeps my spirits up’, says the 32-year-old author, TV presenter, journalist and influencer.
Following her bestselling, I Am Not Your Baby Mother in 2020, the accomplished author is now releasing her second book Sista, Sister; ‘It notes things I’ve learned the hard way. It’s one I wish I’d had when I was in my early twenties – a collection of ten lessons including my experiences of getting into severe debt, losing a parent, feeling unlovable and interracial dating.’
Working on her third book and a new TV project while juggling other creative partnerships, she uses her voice to highlight topics that are both close to her heart and important to Black women everywhere. ‘My biggest motivation is being able to create projects that help bring about change. More specifically, I am very interested in holding doors open for Black women,’ says Brathwaite, who started her blogging career in 2016 with her straight-talking and original take on motherhood.
Here, she shares what she has learnt from parenthood, honing her style and what inspires her creatively.
ON LEARNING
‘Motherhood has made me less inclined to take shit or waste time. Before having children my desire to people please and try do everything and be everywhere was at an all-time high. Once children enter the chat, your time is chopped in half and you must become more ruthless with how you spend your time. It’s the same with my sartorial style. Before then, I spent far too much time dressing for the male gaze – tight dresses, high hemlines, and even higher heels that I’m shocked they didn’t send me to hospital. Now my softer figure requires structure, great tailoring and looks that can carry me from being on a TV set to a meeting with my publishers. My go-to is a midi dress – I think they were made for me.’
ON LIFE
‘Every day at home begins with me listening to positive affirmations and reading positive news. Absolutely no social media. I let the dog out, get the kids up and I’m in mummy mode until 8 am. Once they are out of the door it could be me heading into London for a shoot or working on my next book. If I am at home, I will work until they come home and step away from my laptop until 8 pm. Then it’s time to hit the bar...cart where my husband and I will unwind with a drink. He will stay up until about 10 pm and then I may work until 1 am. I am my most creative at 3 am which isn’t practical at all!’
ON STYLE
‘I’m unaffected by whatever is trendy. The 2000s are having a fashion moment right now but I won’t be swayed by trends. So, my style is very me. It’s bold in its colour and pattern choices. It is relaxed in its shape, nothing too clingy, too short or anything that I must keep readjusting. And it’s personally luxurious because I am now able to invest in pieces that make me, quite literally, feel like a Queen.’
‘My essentials are a pair of well-tailored trousers and a midi dress, like the scuba dress which is both a showstopper and cross-seasonal which I appreciate. Whether paired with dad sandals or a high heel mule, a great dress is an easy way to feel put together instantly.’
EXPLORE
‘I love to travel. It’s been closer to home in recent times, but I can see things that inspire me if my eyes are refreshed. Exploring new places helps me to view places that I am more accustomed to with a new perspective.’
READ
‘Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I am a massive supporter of all things law of attraction and positive thinking. But it is a muscle that needs constant working out. If not, you could forget the magic that is available to you. This book is keeping me in the spiritual gym.’
FOLLOW
‘I recommend following Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (@chimamanda_adichie) on Instagram. I always know she is going to deliver both in her words and her style.’
CHANGE
‘I want a future where we treated people how we wish to be treated. It’s such a simple concept.’
