Can you tell us about your first cosplay?

It was Oruha from Clover. I picked her mainly since we had to same curly hair. Back then I didn’t know anything about wigs and they were not as easily available as now. I threw together the costume with found items and pinned some fabric on a skirt for a makeshift bustle.

Do you have a cosplay piece that you are most proud of?

My Lilith from Trinity Blood. Anyone who knows this series knows that the costumes are overloaded with details. I got to use so many different techniques to put it all together: millinery, dyeing, corsetry, embroidery, and more. I got to make fun elements like 12-inch thermoplastic fingernails, six wings, and hovering wreath. It is one of the most impractical things to wear but the end result is stunning.

What do you hope to achieve through cosplay?

Cosplay is a form of self-expression for me where I get to flex my artistic muscles. I like to challenge myself by picking up new skills or tackling complex projects. I try to produce the best work I can but at the end of the day I want to have fun. When quarantine is over, I look forward to taking my cosplays to more unique outdoor locations to push the boundaries of what we think of cosplay photography.

If you could give any piece of advice to new cosplayers, what would it be?

Do what makes you happy and have fun while you are cosplaying. If you are passionate about something it will help you when you run into snags along the way. Know your limits and don’t push yourself too hard when it comes to creating new work or content.

What would you say is the hardest part of cosplaying?

Perseverance. You hit many obstacles in creating costumes: staying motivated, keeping on schedule, finding time to keep working on projects when you have other commitments, and overcoming construction hiccups. You also need to be persistent in the face of trolls, sexism, and racism. Cosplay in the social media age means putting yourself out there and that also comes with rude people interacting with your content. It’s unfortunate to see people bullied off of platforms due to close-minded thinking. Marginalized cosplayers need to persevere in the face of this and our community needs to consistently work at rooting out discriminatory behaviour within fandom spaces to make them welcoming for everyone.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, who is your cosplay crush?

I’m crushing on Panterona's great skills and wide range of costumes. She does amazing work and she’s from Trinidad. I have family from there, so it warms my heart to see a Trini cosplayer thriving.