Who the hell doesn’t enjoy dressing up for Halloween or for a masquerade ball? Cosplayers take dressing up as their favorite characters to a whole new level. Originating from Japan, costume play is a popular type of performance and visual art. Fans of popular anime, sci-fi, fantasy, Disney and cartoon shows dress up as their beloved heroines and heroes (and non-gendered characters). Most people tend to cosplay when a convention is about to start. Some of the more popular and huge events, like San Diego Comic-Con International or New York Comic Con, draw crowds as big as 130,000! That is a lot of nerd-power. Numerous companies and businesses flock to these conventions in order to promote art, clothing apparel, movies, television shows and much more. These conventions draw in a diverse range of people, so marketers and advertisers are taking note and making sure that if a huge con is setting up shop right near them, they are renting out a booth or space.
Cosplay is a hobby to many; something to dabble in when drunk or to enjoy a huge event with friends. It can also be a way to hone your craftsmanship and skill as a prop maker, actor/actress, or seamstress. It’s steadily becoming even more popular, culminating in professional cosplayers popping up, such as Yaya Han and Jessica Nigri. Conventions invite these highly skilled creators to their events, and fans of these professionals will surely follow. Many of these cosplayers have doors opened to them in fashion, television, gaming and advertising industries. Jessica Nigri, for instance, was hired by Ubisoft to appear as Captain Edward Kenway from the popular video game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The cosplay community is gaining more and more attention, and with people like Nigri with so many fans, it’s bound to even get more popular. I’m attending Otakon 2014 this year as a member of the press, so check back soon for an inside look on what’s it like to cosplay at one of the biggest anime conventions in the country!