Have you ever wanted to be someone else for a while? To step into the shoes of your favorite superhero or TV character? To leave behind reality and immerse yourself in a world completely different from your own? It is a fantasy that many of us have had at one point or another. And the good news is it is entirely achievable. Today we are going to be showing you have to get started in the world of Cosplay!
What Is Cosplay
Cosplay is short for costume play. As the name suggests it is all about putting on a costume. This might seem quite simple but, over the last few years, cosplay has transformed into a worldwide phenomenon. Cosplayers have taken social media by storm. Many people have now made an active career out of their cosplaying. It has spawned a community that is extremely welcoming, friendly, and brimming with creativity.
Cosplay is often associated with works of popular fiction. You will have no doubt seen pictures of Star Trek conventions filled with people dressed as Klingons or Starfleet officers. But there really is no limit to what one can do with Cosplay. If you can imagine it, you can wear it. The only boundary is actually creating the costume.
Your First Costume
When you are getting into Cosplay it is important to remain grounded in your plans. With all the cosplay influencers showing off their amazing costumes online, it is all too easy to want to emulate them straight away. But these more complex costumes are often products of years of experience and a lot of money. If you attempt to create something complex and fail, it could deter you from trying anything else. So start simple.
Our advice is to find a character whose costume is fairly easy to emulate. You want to reduce the financial investment and technical requirements of making the costume as much as possible. Characters like The Doctor from Doctor Who are a great example. Their costume is often made from everyday clothing that can be thrifted or bought online. And with very minor modification you can achieve a true to TV look with ease. As the years go on you can start looking at more complex costumes to try your hand at. It is important to stay realistic with your plans at all times. And don’t get yourself down if a costume doesn’t come out the way you had hoped. Cosplay is meant to be about creative expression and having fun.
Learning From The Pros
The great thing about Cosplay being so prevalent on social media is the wealth of Cosplay tutorials available to you. Many of the biggest Cosplay influencers regularly create tutorials on how they made their costumes. If you are serious about getting into Cosplay we recommend dedicating some time each week to watching these videos. Take notes and try your hand at the different techniques they are showing you.
Attending A Convention
Showing off your costume online is a great feeling. But, if you want to fully immerse yourself in the Cosplay community, you need to start going to conventions. These are the focal points of the Cosplay world. Where thousands of people come to show off their hard work and meet like minded people.
It can be quite nerve wracking attending a convention for the first time. Especially in costume. If you are feeling nervous we recommend going for the first day not in costume. Get a feel for the convention and meet people without having to worry about your costume. Then, over the rest of the weekend, you can show off your costume with ease.
You will want to ensure you bring an emergency costume kit along with you to conventions. If anything breaks or if it gets dirty you want to be able to fix the issues ASAP. Many conventions in California have booths that offer Cosplay repair services. And for those in Oakland there’s this laundry service called wewash24 that can help you find laundry services that specialize in Cosplay cleaning.
Buying Costumes
Not everyone has the inclination or the time to make their costumes from scratch. And despite what a small minority of Cosplayers online will say, it is completely ok to buy your costume from someone else. Buying your costume is a great way to try something a bit more lavish while also supporting small businesses and independent artists. Many people make their living off selling Cosplay props and costume components. So it is definitely something you should consider.
A lot of Cosplay influencers often sell their older costumes after a few years. If you have a particular influencer you’re a fan off you should consider trying to buy one of their costumes. A lot of conventions will have independent business stalls where artists can sell their handmade props and costumes. While you are at your next convention, why not spend some time browsing. This is also a great chance to talk shop with other creatives and maybe even make some new friends in the community.
