Duane Littles

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(Photo: Jake Chessum)

What are you wearing today?
My sneakers are from Shoe Mania on 14th Street. The leather outfit is something I got from H&M about three years ago. I used to work there, so I could see things before they came in and snatch them when they hit the floor. This outfit was actually in the young girls’ department, but it works! The blazer was a gift from my girlfriend; I think she bought it at Macy’s. I found my hat in that little market down by Tower Records on Broadway.

How much hair is under there?
It’s to the middle of my back. I started growing it in the fall of ’95. It was never really a conscious decision; my hair just started getting a little wild, and the next thing you know, I started growing out the top of my dreads. Around the fall of ’97, I decided to let the whole thing grow and become a part of me. Not a fashion statement—part of my personality.

Is it hard to take care of?
Sometimes I get it done professionally. I went to a place called Locks-n-Chop on 34th Street for a while, but then I started to go to a friend of mine who’s also in the entertainment business. But mostly I just take care of it myself. I clean it with witch hazel—I use a Q-tip for my scalp and a cotton swab for the rest of my head. And I oil it. Right now I’m using a really good oil called Luster’s Pink Plus. You can get it at Duane Reade.

So you’re an actor. What kind of roles do you play?
I’ve been on Chappelle’s Show twice. In the latest episode, I play a barber. The first time, I did a sketch called “Odweeds,” about a fake marijuana product. A lot of people have seen it—I get stopped on the street. But I also design clothes.

Like what?
I buy stuff and retool it—I’ll add buttons, paint, pieces of denim. I was doing trucker hats for a while, and then women’s handbags. Now I’m coming into a T-shirt phase.

Trucker hats? Aren’t you over trucker hats?
I don’t wear them anymore. Not because other people don’t—I just don’t feel the need. I’ve gone through that phase. It was totally a fad. In the beginning you don’t know that, but then pretty soon you can tell.