The design of this costume was a decade in the making; I was a part of a cosplay group that didn’t happen, but the design was there. Espeon is a psychic cat pokemon, an evolution from Eevee.
Goal: fully practice sustainable crating processes
What do you do with the many scrap fabrics from so many builds?
The need for reuse became prevalent during pandemic, when resources were limited, and fabric stores were closing or having limited hours.
The skirt became a history of my craftsmanship, representing fabrics from my first costume production, cosplays, etc.
Quick facts:
- The skirt’s bottom tier is 75 yards alone!
- Each tier is 2x the length of the one above.
- I also arranged each tier by color and alternated colors to distribute them all evenly. This process involved plenty of measuring, designing, planning, and sewing to get the effect right.
Goal: Be true to Romani culture, a core influence in what we see as a fortune-teller today in modern culture.Â
The usual family tree exercise in classes is an uncomfortable one for me. As a Latina, it is relatively common that records of one’s family tree are gone, due to fires and conflict in South America.
So, this design exploration was to explore a culture I may have come from. I loved seeing their long, flowy dresses and billowy shirts, all with natural metaphors. I incorporated many flowy elements into the design, along with leaf metaphors in the hem of the skirt and the jumper dress. The silver trim and jewelry is a part of showing your wealth from romani culture.
I incorporated many flowy, natural elements into the design, along with leaf metaphors in the hem of the skirt. I glass-fused the necklace to have the same colors as Espeon, with a natural feel.
To add to the mysticism, I added electronics that twinkled on my head and hem of the long skirt. I have over 240 LEDs in the garment.
I also made the Espeon babies, using measurements from my cat. I made this as a way to have a part of my kitty with me wherever I go. Each pokemon has magnetic feet for ease of attaching to me.
Cosplay Creation Process
Below are links to the creation process set per piece.
Finished Photos
Below are various shots of the costume, from detailed to full-body shots.
Supporting Submissions
My supporting materials are:
- the Zine made dedicated to this project, which outlines the project at a glance, and
- my twitch streams outlining the process
The Cosplayer Annual Zine: Espeon
The Cosplayer Annual Zine, for my Espeon build. Espeon costume and props made by means content written by me. Photographer and Zine designer is 📸: TheCosplayerAnnual .
Twitch Crafting Livestreams
Below is a collection of livestreams relevant to the project. My craft livestreams are more of open office hours/ help desk, so the narratives are centered around educational content.
