A Decade of Upcycled Cosplay
A selection of award winning and short listed cosplay costumes made from upcycled textiles and reclaimed trash displayed at TasPop South March 8-10 2024, Princes Wharf No.1
Sponsored by Resource Work Coopoerative/South Hobart Tip Shop
https://resourcetipshop.com/
Ichihara Yuuko xxxholic
First worn MaiCon 2012 (Best Overall)
silk, cotton, gold foil jersey, sculpey
The black silk used throughout this costume came out of the Cadburys factory where it was originally used to sift cocoa. The white fabric is a heavy cotton purchased secondhand from South Hobart Tip Shop.
In 2015, 2016, and 2017 teams Portugal, Russia, and France each wore the star outfits for their championship outfits at the World Cosplay Summit.
The week that I finished my PhD thesis I contacted Tessu who had previously asked me to make these outfits with her and promised to make it in a week as a way to blow off steam. My version is the only one I’ve found with a side split vs a centre one.We went on to win the cosplay competition at MaiCon 2012.
Sesshomaru Inuhasha
First worn February 2021 - photoshoot (short listed Oz Comic-Con Championships of Cosplay, Victoria 2022).
curtains, satin, silk, eva foam, cotton, faux fur, inflatable pool koala
This costume was made in three days to match an Inuyasha costume made as part of a research project to test my theories about the historical plausibilty of the costume. The hakama are made from 1990s daisy print curtains (reversed) while the silks and satins came from the Hobart Tip Shop.
The full making of both costumes can be read in:
“Red capes, dog gods and demon lords: Making historically plausible Inuyasha cosplay costumes” Studies in Costume & Performance, Volume 7, Special Issue Costume and Fairy Tales, 227-240, Dec 2022 https://doi.org/10.1386/scp_00076_1
Tamamo no Mae Fate GO
First worn Oceanic Esports Cosplay Cup 2020 (first runner up)
dancetime and winston satin, assorted pleathers, faux fur, silk, metal findings, inflatable pool koalas
I had three goals with Tamamo no Mae – to make her using all of the VERY BAD NOT GOOD fabrics that cosplayers were using in the early 2000s and that we are all embarrassed about now like dance time satin and sequin fabric; to make her from fabric in my hoard (and my mother’s hoard and my photographer’s hoard); and, in spite of my choice of party satin and faux leather, to make her using kimono techniques where plausible.
Tamamo’s large tails are inflatable pool koalas covered in fur (see above). This use of inflatables is instpired by WCS Team Germany 2019 who used inflatable bananas to hold up their props as part of their Brother award winning skit/costume. Pool inflatables provide lightweight and easily transportable filling.