Peter Wing-Seeto will tell you their hair is "still a work in progress" but whatever they're doing, it's working.
If you follow the designer on Instagram you'll already know they sport a particularly glorious afro and as you can tell from one look it's worn "with absolute pride."
Fascinated by every individuals follicular journey we asked Peter some questions to discover the secret behind maintaining their enviable volume - and also to learn more about how haircare is linked to their Melanesian identity.
How would you describe your relationship with your hair - today, and in the past?
In the past, I’ve resented my hair for what it is, especially growing up. Constantly being told it was messy, made me look unkempt and scruffy. As a child that's a lot to process given the fact that is just the way, my hair grows naturally out of my very own scalp. Getting the constant buzz cuts to maintain appearance rather than truly embracing my hair and how the people of the Melanesian diaspora and my ancestor wore their crowns.
Have you always embraced your natural texture?
In the present, I wear it with absolute pride and up high where it belongs. Everything I've been told in the past is purely just western ideals of beauty that do not affect or resonate with me to this day.
Given we are in the very age of information, I'm still learning about my hair to this day. The hair types, the very upkeep of it and what works and what doesn't work. Still a work in progress.
Your 'fro almost defies gravity. How do you keep it looking so good? Is it a lot of work?
No matter what, the 'fro would need constant moisture throughout the entire day. I used a lot of natural aloe vera in the past to upkeep the moisture. However, I switched to using the Garnier hair food range as an alternative and have never looked back.
Who 'does' your hair?
It has only been me and no one else at this point on my life.
Talk to us about products and your routine. What do you use and how do you use them?
I spend the majority of the time detangling in the shower and undoing all the knots and kinks to refine the curls. Going in with the products that we retain moisture throughout the day.
With my specific hair type and curl pattern of 4A, I use the hair food range for its multiple and versatile uses of being a hair mask, conditioner and leave-in. All of them work well however I find the aloe vera and the papaya one work better for me than the others. Sometimes I like to go in with pea size amount of coconut oil just for lil extra moisture when I need it.
On more low-maintenance days I use nothing but water as this saves time and also product.
Hair has its own set of cultural practices in Polynesian cultures. How are the ways you present and care for your hair linked to your cultural identity?
Growing up I was always told the bigger your hair was, the closer you were to god. Whether that was a Melanesian folklore or belief system? I'm not sure but grew up with that saying ingrained.
This is probably why everyone back home take the absolute care and pride in maintaining the crown we carry around with us. It's not just something that grows out of our heads but is very much a signifier of our identity and how our ancestors would have worn it too.
What is your hair’s greatest nemesis and what do you do to combat this?
With hair like mine, it's definitely battling dryness and lack of moisture on any given day. Using a pick comb to untangle can be painful if not done right.
Don't even get started on members of the public who just reach and grab my hair without asking. At this point, I feel like my hair alone has developed a 6th sense of itself and can sense when it's about the happen.
Where - or who - do you look to for inspiration when it comes to styling and looking after your hair?
It's given that if your hair or afro is bigger then mine then chances are I'm envious or jealous. My immediate family as a special mention as everyone has a unique way they like to style their hair or present it.
Who else do you think has great hair?
Definitely a close relative and friend of mine, Naawie Tutugoro. She is essentially the reason why I stopped cutting my hair and opted to start growing. Her crown is forever beautiful and immaculate no matter what.
