fraasista

Fraasista is a neologism used in contemporary design and online culture to describe a person or aesthetic that values frayed, imperfect, and transient qualities in objects, media, and ideas. The term seems to combine a root related to "fray" or "frayed" with the -ista suffix common in labels of practitioners, such as fashionista or artistista. Its precise origins are uncertain, but it began appearing in design essays, blogs, and social media discussions in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

Characteristics commonly associated with fraasista aesthetics include deliberate roughness, distressed textures, and irregular, handmade look; use of secondhand or repurposed materials; a lo-fi visual and sonic grammar; and a general tolerance for imperfection as expressive value rather than failure. The approach often emphasizes process and collaboration, often blending digital and physical media to create works that feel provisional or in flux.

Applications span fashion, graphic design, music, and digital media, where fraasistas may share work, critiques, or tutorials that celebrate improvised methods and open collaboration. The term remains niche and somewhat unsettled, and commentators vary in how readily they accept it as a coherent movement rather than a passing trend.

Related concepts include wabi-sabi, lo-fi aesthetics, glitch art, and distressed design, which similarly valorize imperfection and temporariness. Fraasista is discussed alongside aesthetics of imperfection such as wabi-sabi, lo-fi aesthetics, and glitch art.