#Cosplay

Costume design is a form of art that claims to reflect a character’s personality on stage or screen, while in reality serving as a slave to the whims and budgets of directors and sponsors. Supposed to produce stunning gowns and eccentric outfits, it often delivers the magical one-liner of “safe yet highly marketable.” It inevitably becomes the product of trends, cost constraints, and endless meetings, with an artist’s creativity adjusted to fit budget spreadsheets and loading dock doors. Costume designers walk a tightrope between creativity and thrift. Behind the glamour lies a mountain of tuxedos and spare elastic bands, all awaiting the eulogy of “This too is costume design.”