Levi Roots: ‘my hair hasn't been shaved for 25 years’

 

it’s a good thing I live alone, because I hog the mirror and take a lot of time to get ready. I have a shower, then put olive oil on my face. As a black man in this country, I have to cream my face, especially in winter, when my skin gets very dry and cracks. In summer, when you sweat more, black skin is more supple, but in winter we need oil. I like to think of myself as a Rastafarian, so my locks are about my inward belief and my path in life, not a fashion thing. I haven’t cut my hair for 25 years, but I wash it every two days and put in a bit of coconut oil.

As a businessman, I’ve become known for wearing suits, and I’m a sucker for Ozwald Boateng, the king of Savile Row. I have big feet – size 12 – so I tend to have my shoes made at Lobb, the shop where Prince Charles goes. I buy black lace-ups – you can’t go into a business meeting in brown shoes, no matter what suit you have on. When I am on stage playing the guitar, I don’t wear a suit, I am a stereotypical Rastaman. No one ever saw Bob Marley in a suit.

Whatever I’m wearing, I always have jewellery. I’ve collected it through my life, and every piece means a lot to me: it represents places where I’ve performed and cooked. I have a bracelet and two rings from South Africa, where I followed the Nelson Mandela path, and a silver bracelet from the Mull of Kintyre, one of the most remote parts of Scotland. I was filming there and went into a store and saw my sauce. I thought, “Of all the places for my sauce to be!” So I bought the jewellery in the shop next door, to remind me that no matter who you are, you can be successful.