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So what exactly is Cosplay?

Well, the answer is quite simple. Cosplay is a combination of the words “costume” and “play”. It is a hobby in which cosplayers decide to dress up as a fictional character from an anime, manga, video game, comic book, tv show, movie, novel, etc. Many cosplayers choose to roleplay as their character, but a lot of them just want to dress up and look awesome! People mostly cosplay for anime/gaming conventions, as it’s a great time to show off all the work you put into your costumes and get loads of compliments from fellow cosplayers! There are usually a few cosplay competetions at conventions, but no one is forced to enter if they don’t feel confident enough. Many people also cosplay just for fun or just to show their appreciation of their favourite characters. The cosplay community has been growing very rapidly in the past few years, in Ireland alone there are over a dozen conventions, including Kaizoku Con in UCC which started up this year!

How do I start cosplaying?

That’s easy. First off, pick a character that you really, really like. At first, I’d start off with something simple enough. You don’t want your first cosplay to be super complicated to make! A few examples of good ones to start off with are Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Misty or Ash from Pokemon and L from Death Note. After you’ve picked your character, look up as many pictures of them as you can from as many different angles, this will give you a good idea of their full outfit. Write down everything that you need. For example, to cosplay Katniss Everdeen, you’ll need a black t-shirt, green cargo pants, lace up boots, and of course, her signature braid. If you feel brave enough, you can always try to make your own cosplay from scratch. In which case you’ll need to get the materials and probably a sewing machine. It works out a lot cheaper than buying ready made cosplays, and it’s a lot more impressive when you tell people you made it yourself! For DIY cosplays, I would also recommend starting simple, unless you’re already an expert with a sewing machine. A really great idea that’s very popular at the moment, is to cross over your favourite character with a steampunk style. I saw a really well done Steampunk Ariel while browsing the web, and I’ve always wanted to try something like it. We have so many steampunk charms and fabrics in the store right now that my mind is overflowing with ideas! I’m very tempted to make a steampunk seifuku(Japanese schoolgirl uniform) with our lovely steampunk fabric. Perhaps you could try something similar!

Don’t worry if your first cosplay doesn’t seem like the best in the world, cosplayers are very accepting of newbies. They’ll usually compliment you anyway on your efforts or maybe give you some handy advice for your future cosplays! If you’re still feeling a bit iffy, why not get a group of friends together to cosplay with you. Group cosplays are always more fun!

So why not try your hand at cosplaying? You never know, you could end up becoming a professional cosplayer some day!

Hopefully in the near future I will have some cosplay tutorials and demonstrations to blog about and share with you all! Until then!

-Erica :)