For hairstylist Evanie Frausto, finding a like-minded community as a teenager outside of his conservative Mexican American neighborhood was crucial for self-expression. After experimenting with his style, Frausto decided to go to beauty school β little did he know that mere decision would significantly propel his career. While on a trip to NYC, Frausto chose to stay and was taken in by the city’s drag queens that housed him and helped him hone his skills, βlooking back, I find that is so unique and beautiful about the queer community and how you can become part of a chosen familyβ Frausto explains. Through networking, discipline, and grit Frausto worked his way up from working at salons to assisting industry vets like James Pecis, Guido Palau, and Jimmy Paul. Since stepping out on his own, Frausto has since worked with some of the most in-demand creatives and talents like Bella Hadid, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Harley Weir, Inez and Vinoodh, and Renell Medrano. The California native has also been steadily booked by clients such as American Vogue, British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Victoria’s Secret. Models.com spoke to the rising hairstylist about identity acceptance, challenging himself, and learning from collaborators.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m originally from California, and my family’s from Mexico, so I’m the first generation. It feels like I almost ended up in this accidentally, but also, in the process, I fell in love with it. Growing up, I was such a rebel and was partying, getting a bunch of tattoos, and then by the time I was done with all of that, I was like, damn, I don’t have the grades to get any scholarship, and my family doesn’t have any money. What am I going to do? I was like, I don’t know, why not beauty school? I thought it was a more affordable way of learning a trade and making money. After I went to beauty school, my friends and I went on a trip to New York, and during the trip, I decided to stay here. I thought, why would I go back to California? This place is amazing, and I’m going to try to stay and work and things aligned after that.
It was a lot of hard work, and it wasn’t easy. I stayed in NYC, got an apprenticeship in a salon, and then worked at Bumble and Bumble. I remember going to a yoga class with my friend who was a casting director, and we saw some guy, and he said, “that guy has a cool look. Let me ask if he’ll like be interested in being in this Marlboro campaign.” He asked him, and he said, “oh no, I work in the industry. That’d be kind of funny.” Then my friend asked him what he did, and he said, “I’m a hairstylist” my friend then told him that I was a hair assistant, and he said, “I have some fashion shows coming up. You should do it.” It turned out that the guy was James Pecis.
How did you gain a passion for hair and start in the industry?
My family instilled an immigrant mentality of just working hard, and I was always just down to work. By saying yes and agreeing to do the jobs, I emerged into the industry, and then once I saw how it was, I knew it was for me, what I wanted to do, and what I loved. I did my rounds of assisting different hairstylists, like James Pecis and Guido Palau. Eventually, I met Jimmy Paul while doing shows, and soon after, he asked me to be his first assistant, and then I started doing my own thing.
I read that you grew up in a conservative community. How did that affect your creativity as a teenager?
I was rebellious when it came to my look, and I was a bit angsty because when I was a kid, I remember being into all the feminine things like the color pink and wanting to play with Barbie so badly. But I was always told, “no, no, no, that’s not for boys, that’s for girls.” When I became a teenager, I went all out on self-expression with my look, got all these piercings and tattoos, and had crazy tight pants and big hair. My creativity stemmed from that form of self-expression which led me to branch out and look for other types of like-minded people. Luckily, when I entered my teenagehood, the internet and social media started becoming more popular, like MySpace. The platform opened many doors because it helped me find another community outside my conservative Mexican American community. I was a total scene kid, and I found other scene kids, which opened up a whole different world, and it was very lucky timing for me. There were a lot of great looks in that era that influenced my work, like striking hair, mullets, and shags, all of the glossy steam punk hairstyles.
Would you say that finding that community within MySpace helped you accept your queer identity?
Yes, there was more acceptance of gender fluidity. Boys and girls wearing tight pants, eyeliner, and long hair, helped me feel more comfortable with myself.
I read that you learned many of your wig-making skills from drag queens. What tips did you pick up from them?
When I moved to NYC, I had nowhere to live, and I got taken in by a drag queen I met and told them about my living situation, and they said I could come live with them. Looking back, I find that so unique and beautiful about the queer community and how you can become part of a chosen family. Many of us are in the same position where we’re just on our own and trying to get by, and there’s this complete trust in knowing that we’ll take care of each other. They took me in, and they all had wig skills, and drag queens are just like mega glamour artists and craftspeople. They taught me about the transformation and the technical aspects, like how to lay down a wig correctly. Although, they also taught me valuable things that I don’t think I could have learned from just fashion, like how to feminize features and what kind of hairline, height, and volume would bring a little masculinity into the look. They were great tips, and I’m happy I learned from them.
I know you’ve worked very closely with Bella Hadid. How did you guys meet and walk us through your collaboration process?
I first met Bella when I was assisting with Jimmy Paul; we were working a lot with Mert and Marcus, and she was a huge muse for them at the time. When I went on my own, I signed with Streeters, and they put me on set working with one of their artists, and we just hit it off and are still really great friends now. She grew up with Bella and brought me into her circle of friends; Bella was one of those people. We all love getting creative, playing, getting excited about wigs and transformations, and bringing characters to life. Even Bella says that when she gets dolled and dressed up, she’s no longer Bella anymore. It’s Belinda. I take my job seriously, as fun as it is, and she is very much the same. When we end up on a project together, we just start texting ideasβworking with Bella is special because she takes modeling as a craft, like an art form, and she studies it.
What would you say inspires your work?
A part of it is this walk of life that I’ve had, MySpace era and scene kids, but I’m also inspired by the people I work with; they’re all super inspiring to me. Everyone has many unique ideas, and I love soaking it up. It feels like I’m constantly learning and being pushed by the people that I work with, and I really appreciate it.
I know that you and ββMarcelo Gutierrez have worked on multiple editorials and campaigns since 2019, and you both just recently worked on the American Vogue June/ July cover. How have you both collaborated and created synergy with the work you create?
My relationship with Marcelo is so special. I’m so grateful to have him as a collaborator to this day because we both worked on our first ever shoot together for an Opening Ceremony lookbook where we met. It was both of our first jobs on our own, and, amazingly, we came up together on this path. We had this moment where we worked a lot with Renell Medrano, and it all came naturally. Clients were attracted to the energy we had on sets together, so they kept booking us together. We just did our first American Vogue and Dazed cover together; moments like that are much more special to me.
How do you challenge yourself in your artistry and in your work?
I am my own harshest critic, honestly. At the beginning of my career, it caused a bit of anxiety because I was nitpicky, but now I’m grateful for that part of my brain because it pushes me to do better and be better. Also, my collaborators push me, and I respect that that’s part of the game. If they ever want me to tweak or change something, it’s great to be able to see something through a different perspective that I wouldn’t have seen before, which also comes with growth. One time I worked with an actress, and she had her particular method, and I was kind of following her lead, but at the end of the day, even though it was a trickier situation, it taught me a whole new technique. I applied that technique to other projects and was super grateful to learn from that situation.
When looking at your Models.com profile, I noticed that you’ve only worked on two shows. Do you prefer working on editorials, advertising, and covers rather than shows?
My career started during COVID, which was a significant factor. I was booked for projects with brands that, if COVID hadn’t happened, it would’ve been a show versus a video. I like the way my career has gone since it’s been more about shoots and photos, which I love, but I do love shows and being in that environment and that energy. I’m in a place in my career where I’m hoping to grow, and I’m happy that there’s still room for growth in that department.
Social media puts a lot of pressure on people to be “your own brand.” Just allow yourself to be present, open, and learn and don’t worry about having a following, and try to be in the moment. It’ll be worth it.”
What advice would you give to upcoming artists looking to assist?
Today, social media puts a lot of pressure on people to be “your own brand.” Just allow yourself to be present, open, and learn and don’t worry about having a following, and try to be in the moment. It’ll be worth it. I was first an assistant, and I learned amazing lessons and gained so much information that I would’ve never been able to get from Instagram. Trust the process, and then everything else aligns.
