SHAZ'S BITS
COSPLAY
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osplay is the practice of aaaaaaaaaadressing up as a character from a aaaaaaaaa movie, book, video game or anime. aaaaa But to me cosplay has a deeper aaaaaaaaaa meaning. Cosplayers are individuals who love a character from their favorite fantasy world and with every ability at their disposal they try to bring that character to life. It doesn’t matter if the gender roles are reversed as crossplay where women dress as male characters and vice versa. Nor does it matter how complex the design may be – a cosplayer will do his or her best to recreate that character they love so they can breathe life into it.
Cosplayers will adopt the mannerisms, body language and of course costume of the character they chose – anything to bring the being to life.
osplaying in Barbados is now blooming and I intend to push it further. It is extremely different to Mardi Gras, Halloween and our very own Kadooment. It isn’t done to reflect a culture or symbolize a holiday event, cosplaying is a year round craft – it knows no seasons or boundaries and thus pushes creativity to the extremes of imagination. Cosplayers even often choose to combine two worlds together creating unique characters that wouldn’t, couldn’t or shouldn’t exist – the pinnacles of creativity. Noteworthy examples are the Easter Bunny Wolverine which combines ancient folklore with a 1970s superhero and cinematic protagonist (with carrots instead of adamantium claws to boot) and the burlesque version to Snow White.
hat many do not understand about cosplaying is that the industry is enormous. Though a relatively new industry (originating all the way back to 1983. Ha!) it has skyrocketed in recent years to create a multi-billion dollar industry stretching across dozens of genres.
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n Japan alone the industry created in over 35 billion yen ($744,251,818.08 BDS) in value with the manufacture of cosplay costumes, props and wigs – much of which were exported across the globe. In Barbados, we don’t have factories that create costumes in the hundreds of thousands; we do have however talented people who create the costumes, props and wigs themselves from any material they can get their hands on and I admire them greatly for that. How could I not?
his article, my first, is a casting call for all those people who know how to sew, design clothes, make wigs and those who can create props with any material. Never limit yourself! The world is already full of simple black wigs, work clothes, chairs and tables. Push your creativity; they are hundreds, if not thousands of persons across the region who want what you are offering. Islands with their own Pop-Culture Conventions are leading the charge – people in Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica, St. Maarten and St. Lucia that will gladly buy from you. If you don’t think cosplaying is for you then ok, but if you have talented hands and can create well, get yourself out there, let people know that you can create these things and in today’s economy. Diversification and niche markets are key to any new businesses.
eing able to work with one’s hands is a gift and is often under appreciated. Imagine creating for a new fledgling market. Imagine owning your own niche. With the plethora of pop-culture themed blockbusters every year in the theatres, we know that the industry is here to stay. Why not jump aboard? Sell locally and online to our neighbors nearby. Never be afraid to dream large. If cosplayers know that you can create they will come to you.
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Pop Boom Entertainment
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