I’ve always admired people who make their own costumes. Even when it’s for something as simple as a Halloween party, if someone’s gone an extra step to create something from scratch specifically for their costume, it just shows that little bit of extra creativity and dedication. That’s something I tend to lack. A lot of the time, the costumes I’ve worn have been largely dependent on what I’ve got lying around, which is probably why I haven’t fully dedicated my free time to cosplay yet. I lack in the creative and crafty department.
Emily White, a cosplayer based in the UK, is a prime example of this creative flair, building each and every one of her cosplays from scratch, no matter how intricate the characters and outfits become. So, to learn more about her process, I spoke with White about what it really looks like and where it started.
Character Select
Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I’ll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.
“I first discovered cosplay as a concept in general when lockdown in the UK first hit. I was bored and downloaded TikTok to keep myself entertained, and that is where I found this whole world of creators who cosplay. I first started by recreating facepaint looks, as that was the most accessible way for me to dip my toes into cosplay at the time. My first full cosplay though came about when I started streaming on Twitch in the second lockdown that happened.
“I was encouraged by my community on Twitch to transform myself into Ciri for my stream of The Witcher 3. I made a sword and some accessories from cardboard, cut up a white shirt, and altered a corset I grabbed off of Amazon. Since then, I never looked back and my motivation to cosplay only grew more from there. I discovered how enjoyable the process was of bringing a beloved character to life and becoming them.”
However, crafting costumes from scratch in full came shortly after. Once lockdown had lifted and events such as Comic-Con were permitted to run again, White could spend more time with other cosplayers for some inspiration. White tells me: “It was only once the lockdown finally lifted and I attended my first ever MCM Comic-Con that I made the switch to fully crafting costumes myself. Seeing so many incredible cosplayers all in one place was amazing, and I was able to chat to them about how they made their costumes, which was very inspiring. There was one particular costume that caught my eye throughout the event, and that was the Clonetrooper armour.
“I went home after the con to see how much it was to buy, only to realise it was way out of any budget I currently had. So that’s when the switch began. I was determined to bring my idea of being a clonetrooper to life, so I did some research and discovered EVA foam and some brilliant templates and tutorials I could use.”
With a newfound passion for building her cosplays every step of the way, White began to experiment with all sorts of ways to put things together. But long before the sewing and stitching starts, the process starts elsewhere: “It begins with first identifying a character you would like to cosplay. I then will go away and find reference images of the character and their costume. This helps me build up a solid idea in my mind of how the costume will look overall. If needed I will then brainstorm ways of how I can put said costume together. For example, what materials I might choose, if I want to alter the design slightly, what closures will work. Next is the gathering of supplies and tools that I need, whether that be from online websites or a local shop. Then the crafting begins. Depending on the complexity of the costume and its design it can take anywhere from a month to a year to bring a costume to life.”
Making outfits based on existing models isn’t as straightforward as finding templates online. Having to source different angles while in-game, alongside facing unrealistic designs that might not translate well to an actual costume makes video game cosplaying that little bit more challenging. White shared: “Bringing video game costumes to life can be a challenge at times. When people design character’s clothes, they usually are for aesthetic purposes and not practical, so it can be hard to figure out how some costumes can actually be worn by real people. That’s part of the fun I find in bringing that costume and character to life. I have to figure out how I can bring the costume into the real world.”
But even though the process of actually creating the costumes is quite solitary, that doesn’t stop the wider experience being a lot more collaborative, which is one of the larger benefits. White shared: “It’s opened up so many friendships for me purely because of a shared love for a particular game. It’s so fun to talk to people about what games they enjoy and why they love certain characters.” Which is a sentiment I’ve heard numerous cosplayers share, and is certainly something the community prides itself on, and for costume creators like Emily, can be the push you need to make your way through such intense, hands-on projects.
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