We first came across Ilala Cosplay because of her fantastic RWBY cosplay but as we followed her page her cosplays and her photos made us think “yes, we need to feature this girl. She is really, really cool”. On top of that her costumes are beautiful and her commissions are lovely! Go and follow her if you don’t already!
Age: 26
Location: Edmonton, AB Canada
What is your favourite food? Mangoes and McDonald’s (very healthy I know).
Photo by Aka Maple
When you put your costumes together which is you favourite part of the process? Why?
When it works! That sounds weird, but when you finish a piece, like a tunic, a corset or a skirt and you try it and it looks like it should and fits. I do a lot of drafting from scratch for both the sewing and the armor, so I always get a little nervous, especially when it’s something weird, like say… Garrus from Mass Effect. The fact that the very first foam piece we assembled both fit and had the right shape gives you a good feeling.
You’ve used a huge variety of fabrics over the years, how do you go about choosing what fabric you want to use and which one has been your favourite to use so far?
If there’s a live action or a reference kit equivalent, I’ll make decisions based off that (Movies and games list what they used or should be, which is super helpful)! Or else I’ll look into what makes sense in the series world, character background and what kind of fabric works with that in mind. Even in fantasy worlds, you can usually equate it to a time era and figure out what textiles were common, which helps since I usually shop local.
Photographer unknown
A lot of your photos are location photos, what’s your favourite location shoot story?
Actually, we do seem to have a plague with our one friend where we plan a shoot, and the weather turns horrid. We once planned a day to do team RWBY pictures in the beginning of November and it was a -37°C (-34.6°F) blizzard with a wind chill that made it -42°C (-43.6°F)…and we still go out for some reason (http://i.imgur.com/eGxfM9y.png). On the opposite end, it’ll get really hot, humid and super sunny which limits our locations, but no matter what, the next days after will be very nice. Because of it, we know that if we planned an Until Dawn shoot, it’ll definitely be true to the game’s weather for once!
You do some commissions for people, how did you start doing commissions?
I’ve always been used to making 6 costumes per convention, for my sibling and then for myself. Eventually it progressed to friends, which progressed to others either through word of mouth or people seeking commissions when I’m free. I went through a big creative burnout and commissions helped me get back into wanting to make costumes again.
Do you have a particular shop or website you would recommend to people for their cosplay?
Spandexworld/Spandex House for stretchy of almost any need, wigisfashion for lacefronts and Arda when you need to create a wig! Beyond that I find what I need through aliexpress, eBay and occasionally taobao by checking their scores and reviews.
Photo by Aka Maple
Photo by Bo Sin
photo by Kei Cheung Photography
Photo by OTL Productions