We rang in 2026, welcomed in the year of the fire horse and, since then, things started getting a little... furry. For Evanie Frausto, the creative director behind avant-garde brand Showpony and hairstylist to Sabrina Carpenter, Bella Hadid, and so many more, hair has been his entire life—so when the opportunity presented itself to literally combine that with fashion, push boundaries that risked making some people uncomfortable, and put bins of scrapped hair to use and continue being anti-waste, it was a no brainer. For Frausto, making people feeling something that snapped them out of the reality of the world and forced them to pause doomscrolling was top priority. He successfully did this through garments—skirts, crop tops, dresses—made almost entirely out of hair of varying textures. He presented a total of 14 looks at the Otter, a seafood restaurant located within The Manner in Soho, and closed the show in what feels like a perfectly curated moment: Horsegiirl420, a German DJ known for wearing hyper-realistic horse head prosthetics, closing the show in a bridal-inspired look consisting of a white corset top and full, voluminous skirt made entirely of white-gray hair.
After his buzzed-about New York Fashion Week debut, we chatted with Frausto about the intersection of hair and fashion, the future of fantastical fashion and, very importantly, how in the world he managed to keep the hair so shiny.
Courtesy of Ariel Sadok
Can you tell me about your background in hair?
"I've done hair my whole life. I moved to New York City when I was 18 years old, and I actually never knew there was a side of hair that was tied into fashion or celebrities. I just kind of thought, 'Oh, I'm going to work in a salon.' But in New York, the number one question people ask you is, 'What do you do for work?' I would tell people that I was a hair assistant, and from there I grew a network. Once I was transcended into this universe of editorial hair and celebrity hair, I was like, oh, this makes so much more sense to me.'"
Where did the concept of "hair as clothes" come from?
"As I grew into being a hairstylist, I was someone who was really pushing things creatively and pushing how far I can take things. I would take it people's references super literal and be like, okay, how do I figure out how to get hair dragging down the floor, or a a wig that's ten feet tall on someone's head? I started realizing the things that we're doing were not the most comfortable for people. It was obviously really heavy and it was hurting people's necks. Models deal with a lot: they're squeezing their feet into tiny shoes and dealing with really tight ponytails or clothes or corsets. So I started figuring out ways in which I can give the illusion of hair coming out of someone's head or body by creating little garments, like vests or little bikini tops or hats. From there, I was so inspired by creating those pieces that I then had this wild thought: What if this is just completely separate and it's actually clothing? Two years ago, I started really working on the idea of Showpony and creating these garments that merge hair and fashion."
Courtesy of Pola Esther
Courtesy of Nikita Gorlov
What did you want people to feel when they saw your collection?
"I just really wanted them to feel in general. I feel like so much of our life now can be a little bit mindless. We're in this era of just scrolling past all this stuff. I really wanted to do something that just was absolutely wacky. Obviously, clothes made out of hair is kind of a wacky and freaky idea already, so I just fully leaned into it and had no fear. I think it was definitely something that to me is obviously beautiful, but I know that it's the kind of thing that there will be opinions on. Some people are going to really love it and others will maybe disgusted by it."
What's the biggest difference between keying hair for another designer's show versus doing your own show?
"At shows, I'm usually brushing just the model's hair. It was really funny to just visually watch my brush go from head to literal toe [at my own show]. Having to look after the hair on the models' heads and then the garments is the biggest difference. It definitely required a lot more focus and it was a lot more full on."
How much did you collaborate with makeup artist Kennedy? How did you want the beauty and fashion to work together?
"Kennedy and I have a really long relationship. We met right before COVID, so maybe 2018, and we've done really intimate projects together throughout COVID. We did a book with Alexa Demie and Petra Collins called 'Fairytales.' On that project, we really pushed boundaries with beauty. It involved a lot of prosthetics, a lot of super long hair, and hair capes. There was just a lot of trust. Kennedy really came with her own ideas and honestly really helped to round our the collection—it was such the perfect vibe. I knew she would be someone that would just immediately understand it and know what to pair with it in terms of makeup."
Courtesy of Finn Crawford
How did you go about casting Horsegiirl420?
"Horsegiirl was a dream. Honestly, I can't believe that it actually came to fruition, but once we had finished the collection and we made this look that I wanted to feel bridal, very beautiful, mythical, and mystical, I really just saw her in it. I had worked with her once before, but I was just like, you know what? This is a long shot, but let me try. I reached out to her team and I am so grateful that they were into it. Working with her was just such an amazing collaboration. She was so lovely and so down, and the perfect way to close it out."
Do you have a favorite look from the collection?
"As a collection, each garment appeal is very unique in its own way, so it's so hard to pick one. The Horsegiirl look comes to mind. When working with hair, you kind of have to lean into how things progress. Sometimes it doesn't want to work with you and it'll steer you in a new direction. For that look, I loved watching that hair turn that perfect silvery overtone color and working with caging—that one was also the most challenging. Other than that, there's some looks that we made with transparent leathers, which had big concepts to them and the clothes were meant to feel like a second skin. It was really cool to work with this other interesting material that I've never really seen before."
Courtesy of Huy Luong
Courtesy of Huy LuongWhere did you source all the hair?
"The hair was honestly an abundance of piles in bins that I had in my studio from working as a hairdresser for over 15 years. I would have so many huge projects that would demand extensions or wigs and I'm not a wasteful person. I don't even like throwing my food away. I would just collect it all and be like, 'I'm going to use this.' I'm also such a workaholic. So anytime I would be in my studio, I would literally start dyeing things and playing with different ways of being able to use it as a material and fabric, and building out these gowns and garments. It was really cool to see all of this amazing material not go to waste."
We have to ask: How did you keep the hair so shiny?
"We had a lot of pink in it and we partnered with Pravana. It's really funny because one of the biggest kind of inspirations was this kind of fleshy pink, and they happened to be highlighting the exact tone that I was thinking of. So it was really cool to see those looks in a beautiful flesh-toned pink color come to life. Other than that, it was so fun to give the clothes haircuts and styling. It's really funny. There's a look that's a mini top and skirt set, and I was telling the model that I felt llike I'm giving you a 'body bob.' Uberliss was our sponsor for styling, and it was perfect because their products really illuminate the hair and give the perfect shine."
Courtesy of Finn Crawford
Courtesy of Finn Crawford
In your opinion, what is the future of fantastical fashion?
"I hope the fantastical fashion just never dies. I think it's so fun to create a fantasy and a dream and just kind of bring a source of surrealism. I think we're in dark times in terms of the state of the world, so I think that we need to bring the fantasy, bring inspiration, not be fearful, and just kind of lead with our imaginations and creativity. So this project was so special to me, and I definitely am planning to continue it."
What are your hopes for the future of Showpony?
"To me, Showpony is so important and it really feels like this relief. It's a source where all of my creative thoughts and imagination are expressed. I'm really excited to just keep it going, let it evolve, and see where it leads—but it's definitely going to continue on."
