Hairdresser, salon founder and eponymous haircare line owner Charlotte Mensah is a legend in Afro hair circles, the clientele that pass through her Portobello salon doors a storied crowd from Edward Enninful to Zadie Smith , Michaela Coell, Erykah Badu and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We caught up with her in the run up to Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. Here’s what she had to say ...

The Carnival has been a constant presence throughout my life . From being a twelve-year-old, newly returned to my city of birth, to becoming a fully fledged adult with a baby son living here, then a daughter, now a salon, and still calling it home

I remember the first time I truly wanted to go to Carnival. I was thirteen, and my dad refused, even though we lived only a stone’s throw away in North

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