Voice of London

The fashion part in the production of cosplay’s costumes is in the shadow, and it is time for it to come to light.

When you hear the word cosplay, you probably think of people dressed up as superheroes or manga’s characters, linking this subculture more to an entertainment world rather than fashion and beauty. But, did you ever wonder what’s behind their costumes? How long it took to sew and craft their dresses? If they bought something or if they made accessories by themselves? If you’re curious about this hidden part of cosplay watch our interview with the cosplayer @fumiko_amane and browse our gallery to learn more about the techniques required to make incredible costumes.

@Fumiko_Amane as Adepta Sororitas from Warhammer 40k

The costume is hand-made and has a top part made of red and black lycra, with golden trimming. The bottom part is made of black leather leggings with a hand-made black lycra body suit to fix everything. The armour is fully made of foam, a heat-malleable material that you can model with a thermal gun and then painted with acrylic colours. The paper stripes represent prayers, typical of the character. She used a platinum blonde wig for this character. As make-up, a strong eyeliner contour is used around the eyes, with bright red contact lenses.

@Francesca_akaicesca as Espeon

@Francesca_akaicesca interpreted the “gijinka” (humanised version) of the Pokémon called Espeon. Humanised versions of Pokémons are very popular in cosplays right now, and this costume is 100% hand-made. The long skirt is made of different shades of pink and lilac, with a bottom layer of satin and a top layer of cotton. The skirt has white and purple trimming and the hand-embroidered belt with lilac and red gems, is made of foam, covered with the same fabric as the skirt. The top part of the costume is a simple bra, tinted and decorated with hot glue and glitter. The bra has then been hand-embroidered with the same gems and trimmings from the skirt. A silk foulard starts from golden trimmings on her arms, to connect with hand-made rings. The long lilac wig and the fairy make-up perfectly match the character with the help of the hand-made ears.

@Littel_foxfire as Ahri from League of Legends

Ahri is a kitsune (Japanese fox) from League of Legends, and the costume is hand-made with a red and white cotton dress. The sleeves are separate from the main dress and have faux brown leather inserts and golden decorations. The same technique is used for the bustier. She used a very natural make up, adding some drawn back whiskers on her cheeks. A particular feature are the fluffy fox ears on her head and the big soft and white tail, typical of a kitsune, connected to the cosplayer body with a belt.

@Hikari_Chiisari as Akali from League of Legends

This costume is also hand-made, with a black lycra fabric used for the top part. The decorations are made of foam, painted with black and silver paint, to create a warrior effect. The make-up used is very simple, with a black cat-eye and a white eye-pencil in the waterline part of the eye to make the eye bigger.

Words: Miriam Cocuzza | Subbing: Kadie Eve