Rati Lekalakala, stylish fashion model, lifestyle influencer and lawyer-in-the-making, chats about her core values, becoming vegan and making a sustainable impact on society

Whether she’s travelling across Africa, being a law student, or simply chilling with her family and friends at home, Rati Lekalakala’s natural poise expresses both dignity and grace. The beloved influencer is known for her amazing sense of style, aspirational food and lifestyle content, and for encouraging her audience to lead cleaner, healthier lives.

FORGING HER PATH
Growing up in Pretoria East with her parents and younger sister, Rati had a wonderful, loving support system that she is grateful for today. ‘Growing up, my parents raised us on very simple values: being humble, always treating people with kindness and respect, knowing everyone is equal, and centring everything you do around love,’ she recounts. ‘Looking back at my childhood, I don’t think anything has made me prouder than the way I was raised.’ With these values instilled in her being, Rati went on to enter the world of social media during her high school years. What started out as just posting cute snaps of her rescue pup, Scamp, turned into brand collaborations, fashion content and even a blog. ‘However, I later realised that I did not have a strong passion for that [being a fashion influencer] and I wanted my page to have a purpose, have a message and have people learn from it,’ Rati admits. ‘That’s when I centred my page around veganism. I strived to show people that my lifestyle of glamour, fun, being a foodie and having a passion for life did not have to change based on my diet.’ 

LIVIN’ LA VEGAN LIFE
The Rati we’ve all come to know and love today wasn’t always a vegan. In fact, it was during her primary school years – on a school excursion to a dairy farm – that she made the decision to firstly go vegetarian. ‘I was so excited because I knew we would see cows and get to touch them, so I was over the moon! I have always loved animals from as young as I can remember,’ she admits. ‘The day came and somehow it wasn’t as wholesome as I had imagined.’ Rati was perturbed by the fact that people were eating the very same creatures that they loved. ‘At the time I had no idea about the concept of “selective compassion”, which essentially boils down to being sympathetic to the suffering involved in killing animals, but not doing anything to end that suffering,’she explains. ‘I later watched a documentary called Earthlings where I learnt a lot about the dairy industry and many other industries involving animals, and I made the decision to go vegan overnight. I have not looked back since.’ Rati advocates for veganism every day of her life now, but she also understands how hard it can be to make this lifestyle change and stick to it every day. ‘When you decide to go vegan you need to find out what your  body needs in terms of nutrition. I have spoken to many new vegans who have told me they went vegan but could not maintain it because they developed an iron deficiency or got sick. No diet and way of living is “one size fits all”. Your individual needare different to someone else’s, so when you convert, please make sure you are getting all you need.’

ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
Aside from connecting with organisations like PETA and Plant Based News who are at the forefront of veganism and education, Rati is also very passionate about the positive impact of sustainability projects. ‘We live in a world where over consumption is glorified and the “more is more” concept is a mindset that has been adopted by many people and corporations. Creating awareness and taking action is all that needs to happen to prevent earth from collapsing in its entirety,’ she exclaims. ‘Education is still a powerful tool in ensuring active change.’ Each day, Rati commits to living clean and sustainably in order to do her part for our planet. ‘I only use cloth bags to do my shopping, I do not use skincare or make-up brands that don’t have reusable packaging, and I shop at zero-waste grocery stores,’ she explains. ‘I have also tried to support local brands, where possible, especially in terms of clothing items and slow fashion brands.’

A WORD OF ADVICE
‘There is no perfect way to be sustainable. It is all about doing what you can to the best of your ability. Whether it is starting small by no longer using plastic bags, walking instead of driving, or taking a reusable cup to get your morning coffee instead of paying for a new cup every time… Do your best, but please just do something. The future of our planet depends on it.’ 

Words by Charndré-Emma Kippie
Styling: Tyla Johannessen
Photography: Callen Jefferson/HMimages.co.za
Hair styling: Anathi/AG Fantasy; Make-up Artist: Pam/Freelance