![]() The Escapist: What was the hardest costume you’ve ever created, and why? Our society lives on cheap garments in cheap fabrics for cheap labor costs. So, many of the advanced sewing techniques are slowly dying. Our society does not live in haute couture where hidden architecture within the dress is pivotal to the designs success. Fashion design and sewing is easy most ready-to-wear garments are very simple with one, or maybe two, interesting features to make the design unique. I tested out of all my core fashion classes which allowed me to graduate in time with my peers. I was miles ahead of my classmates who were just learning how to thread a sewing machine. Through my research doing cosplay, I learned couture sewing techniques, corsetry, the importance of interfacings, draping, and patterning, as well as the basic sewing foundations. Joshua Hart: To be quite honest, it was my informal study of cosplay that influenced my peers and teachers in fashion. Can you talk about how your formal study of fashion design has influenced your cosplay, or vice versa? The Escapist: Many cosplayers don’t work in fashion. I took the initiative to dedicated all my spare time to this newfound “hobby” But, it seemed magical to me, like a fantasy. ![]() Looking back, it was a poorly constructed mess of wonky seams and neon yellow hairspray. I taught myself how to knit for that costume. I was so excited! I cosplayed as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children my friends cosplayed as other characters from the same series. I have always love the Renaissance Festivals and Halloween I love playing dress-up. I knew nothing about these “conventions”, but I was told everyone dresses up as their favorite characters. Many of my friends in theatre attended Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center and I was asked to go. Joshua Hart: I began cosplaying in high school when I was 15. The Escapist: How did you first become involved in cosplay? What was your first costume, or at least the first you debuted publicly? We sat down (virtually) with Joshua to find out more about his work as a cosplayer, his career in fashion, and to discuss his personal favorite costumes. ![]() I would not be where I am in my career at my age, if I had never cosplayed.” It “forced me to teach myself to be a master of many trades and a harbinger of knowledge. “Cosplay is the sole reason I learned how to sew, knit, embroider, bead, wood work, drape, pattern make, etc,” he explained. In fact, he came to fashion by way of cosplay, and not the other way around. Now living in New York City, where he works as an assistant designer for an apparel company, Joshua still continues to make amazing costumes. “But throughout my life, my career path and aspirations evolved and grew into something that gives me great pride and contentment and I have cosplay to thank.” “I was an extremely indecisive person who was skilled in many areas, so the idea of picking one career overwhelmed and limited me,” he told us. ![]() Originally set on becoming a doctor, in college his love of costume design took on a life of its own. He’s also a prolific cosplayer with an astonishing ability to disappear into his costumes and an incredible eye for detail, who credits his love of cosplay with sending him into his chosen career. The Baltimore native received a BFA in Fashion design from Syracuse University in 2012. There can be no question that Joshua Hart knows clothes. To better understand this dedicated community, we’ll be talking to individual cosplayers about their designs and how cosplay has affected them in the rest of their lives. It’s also the cosplayers themselves, from all walks of life and myriad professions, who dedicate themselves, usually at their own expense, to the arduous task of learning everything it takes to make those recreations work. Will Cosplay contribute to the future of fashion design? We think so, and we’ve spoken to one of the people who might just make that happen.Ĭosplay isn’t just the colorful characters dedicated cosplayers put their efforts into recreating.
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