Cosplay, the art of combining costume and role play, grew out of the practice of costuming at science fiction conventions. Over the past couple of decades, it has really taken off and become its own subculture. Desi believes cosplay can be inspired by Japanese anime characters, a Western comic book character, a Disney character, whatever inspires you. “It's literally just, I love this character so much that I want to express my love by actually dressing up as them.”

Desi was a huge Sailor Moon fan and was following news on the Sailor Moon website in early 2000 when she discovered the world of cosplay conventions: a place where she connected with like-minded people, and her passion blossomed. She took her love of drawing and character design to the next level and began sewing costumes. She reminisces about ‘covert’ costume making at Jo Anne Fabrics before cosplay was mainstream. Desi also talks about the importance of revisiting those older costumers in your portfolio because sometimes we take for granted the knowledge, we’ve accumulated that could help someone else. 

She shares stories about her own evolution, and how she continually pushes her designs. A couple of examples she shares is taking a character you’ve cosplayed many times and finding  a new way to express how you love the character, or maybe you really love a character but want to give the costume a different aesthetic. Desi’s style leans toward the soft, fanciful, and elaborate. She is currently working on an X-Men costume that will reflect her style. (5:26-14:23)

You can hear the enthusiasm and pride in her voice as she talks about the talented people in the cosplay community. She advises for those who are new to cosplay is to, “start with something you love.”  She also feels that finding people you can socialize and cosplay with is important. Cosplay cons are a great place to build those connections. A typical day at a con is different for everyone. For Desi, it involves getting up early and getting the makeup on, then focusing on  costuming.  Often, checking out the lighting, going to scheduled photo shoots, and possibly meeting up with a cosplay group. Cosplay groups form naturally, whether it’s from a shared passion for Disney princesses, a certain anime, or a new movie that’s coming out.  Today, Desi is purely digital, designing her whimsical creations using Procreate® on an iPad.  (15:01-21:20)

Cosplay and Desi have both come a long way in the past twenty years, and no doubt will continue to evolve over the coming years. Whether you’re new to cosplay or an avid cosplayer, this one-on-one interview with Desi is not to be missed. You can connect with Desi on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Desi Dessu.

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