Hairstylist Evanie Frausto just made the style, beloved by scene kids everywhere, that much more attainable
Evanie Frausto has been quietly pushing the MySpace scene kid agenda for the last few years now. From racoon tail hair in Heaven campaigns and on Rina Sawayama to the crimped backcombing at Christian Cowan SS24, you can see elements of the subculture throughout the Dazed 100 hairstylist’s work. And now he’s made it easy for everyone at home to get the look as well, with the latest collection of his new Hair by Evanie line.
Drop one was the ponytails. Drop two, the wigs. And now we’ve got streaked clip-ins for people who want to experiment with the DIY look instantly. Featuring eight styles, the new collection includes 20-inch watermelon plaid patterns and 26-inch hot pink-tipped extensions. The single clip-ins are a good place to start for people who are less familiar with hairpieces and wigs, with Frausto designing them specifically to be easily installed. “You can shampoo it, dry it, style it over and over again,” he says. “It just becomes an extension of you when you feel like you want to push the boundaries with your beauty.”
Referencing the alt-emo and scene subcultures of his youth, Hair by Evanie is a carnivalesque line turning wigs on their head. “Being from the MySpace era and being a scene kid when I was young, I’m pushing that Kiki Kannibal.” His hair line tests the full extent of his imagination without damaging or disrupting his muses’ hair, coiffing hairpieces as an extension of his punk fantasy. “I always had these really big ideas of what I wanted to emulate and a lot of that wasn’t possible because you can’t cut and colour a working model’s hair,” says Frausto. His brand is an answer to that problem, full of exaggerated ponytails, blunt bobs, mullets and now clip-ins with hand-coloured stripes, that won’t have any permanent consequences on your hair.
Dazed chatted to Frausto about hidden wig teasers, how the extensions are made and what’s next for the wigmaker’s new line.
You tested your pony samples all the way back at the Luar SS22 show. Was that the first Hair by Evanie teaser?
Evanie Frausto: That was the first Hair by Evanie teaser at a show. Definitely in a more public eye but Hair by Evanie really started when my career started. Basically, I have always had a very particular vision of what the hairpieces that I should be using should be like in terms of quality and ease. So, since the beginning, I have been working on making my product better and better, making it easier to apply, making the lace more transparent and sourcing the best hair quality.
What made you first want to start wig-making?
Evanie Frausto: I always had these really big ideas of what I wanted to emulate and a lot of that wasn’t possible because you can’t cut and colour a working model’s hair. And so I turned to wigs because it was a way to push the limits further without damaging or disrupting the muse’s head of hair.
How does hairstyling and making hair differ? Is it what you expected?
Evanie Frausto: The biggest difference is time. I could work on a wig for days on end, just one wig. Perfecting the cut, the colour, the style. But hair styling is on a subject and you only really get maybe an hour tops. Sometimes production gets a bit cheeky or they want to give you a solid seven minutes to get the gig done. But I love the rush.
What is the process behind colouring your units? Why streaks?
Evanie Frausto: The process is a form of therapy. I really enjoy it, when I have down time, it’s my version of painting. I find it really satisfying and relaxing. My friends tell me I should get another hobby besides hair but this is my little cheat because it’s still productive. My team is also very involved with the colouring. It’s cool because one wig could have been touched by myself and four or five other people from my team that keep adding to it as time goes on. The stripes I love because it nostalgic for me. Being from the MySpace era and being a scene kid when I was young, I’m pushing that Kiki Kannibal.
Why did you choose human hair and how did you pick what styles to do?
Evanie Frausto: I picked human hair because of the whole concept of HBE about getting people who are not within the hair business and world a piece of it. I want people to use the materials I actually use. You can’t beat human hair when it comes to hair pieces and wigs. It can last a lifetime. You can shampoo it, dry it, style it over and over again. It just becomes an extension of you when you feel like you want to push the boundaries with your beauty routine.
Have you learned any new techniques with Hair by Evanie that you can use as a hairstylist?
Evanie Frausto: I don’t know if I’ve necessarily learned anything from it, but it’s always been a part of my learning process. I’m rarely at a shoot or a do-and-go or a carpet without using an extension, or bang piece or wig. There’s always been HBE within my work.
If your wigs were a character, how would you describe their personalities?
Evanie Frausto: They are really eccentric, bold, characters. They’re a little bit off but in the right way. Kind of punk and fearless in that way.
Do you have a favourite look you’ve done so far? If so, what is it?
Evanie Frausto: I feel like I get asked this a lot, and it’s a hard question. Off the top of my head right now I’m thinking of major transformations that I’ve done with my wigs. Two that come to mind are the Nicole Kidman Perfect Magazine cover where we gave her the futuristic jellyfish cut and Troye Sivan for his music video “One of Your Girls” of course.
Your hair has been superimposed into a music genre. What does it sound like?
Evanie Frausto: It sounds ambient but all of a sudden dubstep. With a feeling of hyper-pop and definitely notes of hardcore screamo.
Ponies, wigs, then streaks. What’s up next?
Evanie Frausto: There’s some exciting decorative hair accessories coming down the line.