Is Hairy Fashion Meant to Be Worn?
We talked to two designers about using hair as textile.
On the runway, hair extends beyond growing out of our heads and into the realm of textiles. At his first couture show in almost 10 years, Charlie Le Mindu sent floor-length coats and two-piece sets composed of human hair down the Spring/Summer 2026 runway. Although his pieces might raise a few brows, Le Mindu says he’s not interested in shock value — but rather, emphasizing hair as a medium.
In 2003, Le Mindu first began to construct costumes with hair. While using hair as textile is widely seen as an avant-garde practice, the designer believes that it should be more commonly used, stressing that it can be utilized for practically any design philosophy — just like animal fur. “We need more human hair designs. It is a textile. It’s human fur, but we’re not killing anyone,” he tells Hypebae.
Of the many takes on hairy fashion, Le Mindu directly mentions fashion newcomer Evanie Frausto, who debuted SHOWPONY and his first-ever collection at New York Fashion Week this Fall/Winter 2026 season — which consisted of flowing skirts and kitten heels covered in hair. With roots in hairstyling, Frausto says that his desire to create SHOWPONY came from being “really, really bored,” citing that he was always seen as “that new freaky kid” when working with hair.
“You should use hair, but use it your own way,” Le Mindu says about SHOWPONY’s debut. While the two collections make use of similar silhouettes, Frausto maintains that his collection was born from the boundary-pushing reputation he gained as a hairstylist. “I wanted to disrupt my system and do something crazy that felt authentic to myself and my art,” he tells Hypebae.
However, where the two designers find the most common ground is in the indescribable, uncanny feeling that their pieces give off. While Le Mindu recognizes hair as a captivating material, he also acknowledges that it can spark disgust in the very same breath. “Some people really hate [hair] — like me, sometimes I find it beautiful, but when I find hair in my apartment I’m like, ‘This is so gross.’ So it’s beauty, but it’s also disgusting.”
For Frausto, the polarizing reactions only serve as motivation. “I’ve been a hairstylist for so long, hair has become normalized to me. But, I get reminded of it whenever I pull out a wig, because there’s always a gasp,” he says. “But, there’s something about that feeling that I love and want to lean into.” As evident in HorsegiirL closing out SHOWPONY’s first-ever runway, Frausto conversely harnesses a spectacle.
Of the many critiques of hairy fashion, some argue that there’s no world in which it’ll ever be worn off the runway — to which, Charlie Le Mindu says is the exact point he’s trying to make. “It’s haute couture, it’s a contemporary art piece that can be worn, but only for a special occasion. I don’t see them as being worn everyday,” he tells Hypebae. “I think they’re much more special than that. Human hair is special and it feels special, I think it should stay that way.”
