Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Shomer.
Hi Sydney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have taken dress-up time very seriously since I was 4 years old. I practically lived in my favorite pink Barbie princess dress and wanted more than anything for the real thing. I have always loved clothes and fashion but cosplay was something that I grew to love later in life. I’ve been dressing up for Halloween and things for years of course, but when I was 15 I made a Maleficent costume that I wore to a local convention and I really did fall in love. It was the first time I’d ever made something that really made me FEEL like the character I was dressed as; the details I added and the pride from having made it myself. I also grew to love making my own costumes because I noticed that premade ones were always expensive, ill-fitting, and looked cheap, so when I learned to make them myself I had complete creative control to make it as luxurious as I wanted. As I honed my skills I grew especially attached to the research aspect of creating such big projects, looking into history and culture to make a costume as awe-inspiring and larger-than-life as possible, so when you look at it in real life you feel like you’re still watching it on TV and being like “Wow… that’s amazing, I’d love to have an outfit like that!”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One struggle I have worked tirelessly to push through is the paradox of comparison. Cosplay is such a vast and varied community that is always warm and inspiring, but when you are just starting out or perhaps adding a new skill to a project it can feel heavier when you see other cosplayers seemingly effortlessly do the same thing but better. Like an unreachable level or a sense of perfection you’ll never have. I’ve learned almost everything I know from competing, as well as countless supportive friends and fellow cosplayers, so comparing myself to them is always present. However, I also try to think that every artist at some point feel like they are not good enough, for what I’m not sure, maybe that perfection I mentioned, but being perfect isn’t the point of cosplay; it’s having fun and feeling yourself in the beautiful outfit you’ve made!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a hobby seamstress who specializes in costume construction and competitive cosplay. My most well known pieces are custom gowns I have sewn for an anime character from a 2021 film titled “Belle,” as well as a historically inspired junihitoe royal kimono original design. I am most proud of these pieces as well because they were the projects that helped me decide what kind of designer I wanted to be. My favorite part of creating my designs is studying different cultures and histories for inspiration, since I love fashion so much already, seeing how fashion and clothing has always been used to make people feel like royalty with embellishments, embroidery, and fine textiles and jewelry is something that always fills me with joy. I would say something that sets me apart would be my love of history and fashion in my projects, but also my love of original designs. Cosplay in itself is the art of the perfect copy, but it can also include original designs for existing characters. I love looking at a character and their story and being able to perfectly craft an outfit. I am actually currently working on a completely historically accurate cosplay of Mothra from Godzilla based on the Tang and Qing dynasties of ancient China.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Playing dress-up with my older sister. My favorite movie was Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper, and I had a pink princess dress I would wear every time I watched it, and my sister who was seven years older than me, would watch with me and I’d sing every song and make her sing them with me. I think I made us do this at least five times a day.
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