Athel Artistry, a.k.a. Cynthia Kirkland, has been cosplaying for almost 15 years. Back then, wigs weren’t readily available in a rainbow of colors, thermoplastics weren’t prevalent, and you had to walk uphill both ways to the convention center. It didn’t stop Athel Artistry and her best friend from being captivated and working on their first costumes for Otakon, an anime convention. They made the smaller accessories, and their mothers sewed the majority of their outfits. Since then, Athel Artistry has learned how to sew, and while she lived and studied in Osaka, she attended local cosplay events and was featured in the magazine CosMode.
Her passion for cosplay has even trickled into her career—she’s a seamstress at Walt Disney World.
When she’s not working for the Mouse, Athel Artistry is creating all sorts of gorgeous ensembles. She looks simultaneously frightening and awesome as one of Game of Thrones‘ most reviled characters:
Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones) | Photo by Soulfire Photos
Her design skills are evident with every costume she makes, but she also applies her talent to geek chic designs. She designed this Batmobile dress, modeled by Mew, for the Her Universe Fashion Show:
Photo by Braeby
Batmobile. Dress. What a time to be alive.
Head to the gallery below to see more creations from Athel Artistry, including a lovely Captain Phasma dress. You can keep up with her future projects by following her on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Do you cosplay or take photographs of cosplayers? Then I want to see your work so we can talk about highlighting your creations in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re a photographer, maybe we could focus on your images from a single convention. If you’re interested, please get in touch with me at [email protected] and send photos you’d like me to feature–the more high-res the photos, the better. Be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image because giving credit is good manners–bonus points if you include links to relevant Facebook pages or websites. Though I wish I knew all the nerdy franchises, I don’t, so please let me know who or what is being cosplayed.
Featured Image: Soulfire Photos, courtesy of Athel Artistry
