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I thought that it would be an interesting discussion point to talk about something that happened to me last year. And basically, how I accidentally became a cosplay sensation overnight. 

So, it all started mid summer, as all good stories do. And, here in the UK we were about half way through the first national lockdown. I was lucky enough to be placed on furlough. Which, if you don't know, is basically pay without work. So there I was, just finished my GCSE's, no coursework, lots of time to kill and lots of money to blow. Now, I had figured that when we were out of lockdown it would be Halloween time. So that being said I had to start thinking about A costume. I work at a joke and costume shop by the Norfolk seafront and every year on Halloween, we all attend work in costume. Every year, the staff will cover old clothes in fake blood and spray their hair wild colours. Its good fun. My manager, on the other hand, builds himself the craziest and best costume in the town. Every year without fail. Now, I don't much like being placed at second best. And for a change, I set out to Build myself the best Halloween Costume in the town. 

I don't think I had realised at the time the sheer amount of work that would go into the project. So, optimistically, I started doing research into Halloween costumes. And came up with what I considered a genius idea. I had 2 months, to create a fully historically accurate 13 hundreds plague doctor. I'm talking, Cows leather wide brimmed hat, sheepskin beaked mask, a waxed woollen robe. I wasn't aiming for second best, I was aiming for beyond the best. And there was only one man I knew who was up the task. Tom Banwell Designs is considered an artist in leather craft. His masks seen and used on international television and live shows. The biggest issue was... He didn't ship his work to the UK. I was stumped, fallen at the first hurdle. I was lost for ideas, and now had less time to complete the project. I only had one more option, and that was contact the cosplay community. Now, before I began the project, I didn't much care for cosplay, I didn't much care for costume design BUT I did consider myself an expert due to my job. And, so knew where to find people that could give me answers. To sum up my weeks spent on Reddit, all I found was that historically accurate costumes range from £1-2,000 and I was not willing to spend my years savings on a days work. That is when I discovered Etsy.com. Now, ETSY is like eBay for artists. You can find anything from handmade jewellery to homemade fragrances. And the sellers are all absolute craftsmen at what they sell.  I was drawn to the idea of leather patterns, and in contrast to buying an expensive mask... it seemed I could make one for cheap. So I measured my head and bought the necessary size patterns to build myself what seemed perfect at the time. A wide brimmed hat... yes.... a beaked mask.... yes. the tools and materials to make it... no?

Ah... Not quite the flying colour start I had hoped for but that was okay. I had the money for the materials and the time to make it work. Real leather was expensive, but cheap leather was too weak to look good. It was the only option I had. So when everything arrived in the following weeks it was as if I had to learn a new language. Cutting and staining and sewing and cutting and staining and sewing and blistering my fingers over and over again. Applying buckles, and sanding edges, getting measurements wrong and starting all over again. It took weeks to get right. And I still had so much to do. With mere weeks to go and only having ready the basics of the costume, I was getting nervous. I raced to a Fabric shop and had a robe made for me, stopped by thrift stores to pick up excess accessories, and plucked the feathers off roadkill. I think... Finally... I had accomplished my goal. With help from the people around me I was able to create the unthinkable. 

Anyway! the day came. I took pictures with customers, They took pictures of me, I worked the open till close shift so everyone saw me. It was somewhat pleasant, even if my mask had steamed up and my leather gloves couldn't hold the change, I loved every second that I wore it just because of the work it took to have it. So I slept on it. And didn't think much of it.

Here's where things get interesting. The next day, I'm at work. Doing the same shift as before, this time out of costume. I get approached by a man claiming to be a photographer.  He walks right up to the till and says to me "hey, I've seen your work I'd love to do a collaboration". I'm thinking, ahh this guy must have been in yesterday. So I replied, "oh nice, did we get a picture together?". He looks me dead in the eyes and says "no? I've seen it TikTok". At this point, I'm thinking. This guy must be tripping, I'm pretty sure I would know if I was a viral sensation. It turns out, to this day... I am still seeing my costume posted up online. I'm on YouTube, I'm on Instagram, I'm on numerous Articles. An my favourite part is... I get to say that my hard work really paid off. I guess I've set the bar For next year. 

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