Tonya Lewis Lee and daughter Satchel Lee are as lit as they come, so it’s no surprise they perfectly pull off the season’s most electrifying trend: neons.
While they’re the leading ladies in Academy Award–winning director Spike Lee’s life—Tonya is his wife of 25 years and the mother of their two children, daughter Satchel, 24, and son Jackson, 22—these phenomenal women are celebrated creatives in their own right.
Tonya, cofounder of ToniK Productions, is an executive producer of Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It and coproducer of the forthcoming movie All Rise,which was a big hit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. The 53-year-old is also working on a documentary on birthing—specifically, the shockingly high maternal mortality rate of Black women in the United States.
And when she’s not tackling important social issues, Tonya, who’s also an attorney, is busy spreading the gospel of self-care via Movita, a vitamin supplement company she founded in 2017.
As for Satchel, she’s fully engaged in her position as creative director of Drøme, a print and digital publication she owns with a friend. “It situates the queer perspective but is really open to anyone who connects to the material,” Satchel says. The New York University graduate is also keeping her artistic juices flowing with freelance writing and directing promotional spots for major brands such as Def Jam, Coach and MTV.
If this feature is any indication, the mother-daughter duo can add style star to their bios. While they don’t normally raid each other’s closets, they do exchange opinions on fashion choices.
“We try to allow each other room to be whoever we are,” Tonya explains. “And we will weigh in if we feel someone is looking crazy. But ultimately, the overall theme is, ‘You are your own individual.’”
What a bright idea!
Credits:
Photography: Erica Génécé
Styling: Marielle Bobo
Makeup: Jessica Smalls
Hair: Monae Everett
Nails: Gina Edwards
Set Design: Chanel Kennebrew