Let's Talk With: Smashing Cosplay

Adelaide is rife with talented cosplayers, spanning from all ages and into all skill sets. Ayden Wing, more commonly known as ‘Smashing Cosplay’ is no exception to this. While many cosplayers tend to stick with ‘flavour of the month’ characters from trending animes or series, Ayden sticks out from the crowd, either as the infamous Crash Bandicoot, to the suave-talking woman-chasing Johnny Bravo...

I was fortunate enough to sit down with this talented cosplayer, as he shares what he loves about cosplaying and how he expresses his art.

First of all, how did you get into cosplaying?

Back in year ten, my friend asked me if I wanted to go to AVCon. I said ‘Hell yeah! That sounds pretty good!’ He was cosplaying, and I wasn’t and while I had a lot of fun, he had way more fun. I said to myself that I was going to do that next year. So for the last four-and-a-half to five years I’ve been cosplaying to every convention that I can get to, which is very single con in Adelaide, as well as a few interstate ones when I can get to them.

Which was your first cosplay that you did?

My first cosplay was Final Fantasy Advent Children Cloud at AVCon in 2010, I think, which was couple of years ago.

What’s your process when you decide to cosplay a character? As in, design, pattern, construction?

It depends on the cosplay I guess, because if it’s something more popular, it’s often a lot easier to buy it. See with Kirito from Sword Art Online, I just bought that one because it was so much easier...that was kind of the “flavour of every single day of AVCon” kind of cosplay. [There was about thirty different Kirito’s at that AVCon!] But I bought that one because it was so much easier to buy, and there was a lot more options available.

I could sift through them and think ‘That one’s made of pleather, I don’t like this’ to ‘This one’s more of a canvas-style material, I’ll get that one” But then, a lot of the other ones, I look at them and I think I could modify parts of it.



Nigel Thornberry (The Wild Thornberry's):
Photo courtesy of Bruce Rogan

Say Nigel [Thornberry], the shirt for that one was actually a long-sleeve shirt which the sleeves were taken off and then modified...I’m not going to lie, but my Mum did that. I can’t sew, and I admit that [laughs]. Except my Crash Bandicoot actually! I did that all myself and I’m proud of that one, and well, look at it! [laughs].

Why these kinds of zany characters, and not ones that you normally see at conventions?

I like doing novelty stuff, and being a bit of a peanut [which we all know that I am]. I like doing the funny and kind of weird ones that are more out of the ordinary. For ones like Crash, I loved the series when I started playing when them when I was very young. They were just such good games and I thought ‘You know what? I’m gonna cosplay Crash!’

It’s the sort of thing where I like the character, but if you haven’t seen many of that character, then I think that it would be fun to do. Otherwise, I love the character and it doesn’t really matter how many people have done it, such as Kirito. I mean, with him, Julia [my girlfriend] wanted to do Asuna, and I figured, ‘Well, I’ll be Kirito, and we’ll do a couple cosplay’, that sort of thing.

Have you got a particular favourite that you prefer to wear?

Of all of them, out of the ones I’ve got? That’s tough! I’m really liking Mr. Bonding at the moment, because it’s really comfy and easy, but I love Nigel I reckon. He’s my favourite, and even though it’s a pain [and I can’t, y’know, pick my nose when I’m wearing the costume, wink wink] and I can’t actually get to my nose; it’s a lot harder to get into it’s probably my favourite as well as being everyone else’s favourite. It just gets a really positive response from everybody, which makes it a lot more fun.

Cosplay seems to be an activity that is largely dominated by a female approach. Have you got any thoughts as to why that may be so?

Umm, well I can say it definitely is. Say if you looked at the cosplay pages and that, it’s definitely more females ninety-five percent in comparison, but I think that a lot of the guys might just see it as a ‘Dressing up, why would I do that?’ kind of thing [as a stereotypical male sort of thing] where, girls might be like ‘Oh, I get to dress up as my favourite sort of character!’

Honestly, I don’t know, but there might be some sort of mentality like that behind it, but I’m really not sure. Especially when you think of it in the sense that, when you think of a nerd, you wouldn’t normally think of a girl, would you? It’s more of a tall, lanky guy with glasses, all that sort of stuff. You’d think of guys being the fans of cartoon and gaming, whereas a lot of the girls get into it more, even though there may or may not be more fans... it’s a sort of gender split thing, I guess.

What would you say to encourage more males to get into the art?

I’d think more of Nike. ‘Just Do It’. [laughs] It’s really fun, especially if you get a group of people together, because that way if you’re feeling embarrassed about being the only one that’s doing it, then find something that all your friends are into. Keep it simple too, and if you can all buy yours costumes, then it makes it a lot easier to all go have fun. If you go as a group, it takes away that individual insecurity, because you have all of your friends to dressed up with you. You won’t be the only peanut there.



Mr Bonding (Pokémon): Photograph
courtesy of Ayden Wing 

Have you got any particular cosplayers that you look up to, either local or internationally?

Hmm, there’s a couple. I think my favourite cosplayer ever since a while back would be Li Kovacs. She makes an amazing Link, as well as everything she ever does. I think Link was the first thing I saw from her and I thought ‘Holy crap!’ I think it was the magic armour one, and I just thought ‘Wow...!’

One that I’ve come across in the last six months or so, are a couple of sisters in the US, and their prosthetics and wigs are amazing. They’ve entered a couple of contests of the Arda Wig contests, and they’re always in the top five, even if they don’t win it, they’re still high up. Their work is incredible and the thing is, their face prosthetics and seamless and flawless, and how it fits on the face is just epic. They’re definitely my inspiration, and every time something of theirs pops up, it’s like ‘Oh my god! How did you do that?!’ It just looks so good!

Your popularity is continuously growing as a cosplayer, especially here in Adelaide. Do you see yourself as any sort of role model in the community?

I hope people don’t see me as a role model! [laughs] You’re looking at the wrong person! I think it’s really cool to have that, and to think that you actually have a fan base it’s like... ‘Me?...Have a fan base?’ I think it’s just more that people like the costumes, and that’s great! I do this because I want to do it, and then having people that enjoy my work as much as I do, it’s just really cool. I really like that. I don’t know if I’m setting a good example on how to be one, but I hope that I’m not setting a bad example.  

Why do you feel that people cosplay?

Uhh...this is tough one! [laughs] The way I see it, it’s a really fun hobby. I guess it’s like when I cosplay Crash, you get your favourite childhood characters brought to life. For me, Crash was always one of the cool guys; bit of a gumby, had no ideas what was going on but he just went through and wrecked everything and saved the world in the end, but it was always good fun. And then to be able to be him and mess around and do the Crash Bandicoot dance at conventions is just, well so much fun. It’s just really cool to be able to watch something and admire the character, and then be able to be that character.

There’s a sense of pressure for cosplayers to go and do sexy or risqué cosplays. From an observation, it seems to be more targeted towards females, but there would be still be some directed at men. Has this ever happened to you?

I think a lot of that would mostly just be character design. I mean, how many lead female characters in, say, fighter animes and stuff, have that skin to clothes ratio which is more skin than clothes. Whereas the guys, tend to have not so much skin showing, but they’re all really ripped and buff.

It’s one thing for all the girls to be like ‘Oh, I have to be really chest out and fit and everything’ whereas the guys, there’s the pressure to be fit and guns. I’m going to be doing Kamina with Julia being Yoko, and well, I’ve got to get fit for that. I mean, I run around everywhere without a shirt on, so I’m not one that’s bothered by not wearing a shirt in public, but for other people, it might be more of a pressure thing. They might think that this character is really cool, so the only way to do it right is to, y’know, not have a shirt on, whereas for girls, you’ll need a bikini top.

In saying that though, if you don’t want to cosplay it exactly as it is, modify it to fit you, and make sure that it’s comfortable.

What’s the most rewarding part of attending conventions to you?



Mighty Mask (Dragon Ball Z): Photograph
courtesy of Illustrious Cosplay

I reckon getting responses from people out of it when you’re in costume. When you’re proud of a costume, and you think ‘Yeah, I’ve done this, I’m proud of it’ and you’re finally wearing it, and then having people get excited and saying ‘Oh my god it’s [this character]’ and loving it and wanting your photo and stuff, I think it’s really cool having that. Unless you’re a really popular person or really talented in something, you won’t really experience that elsewhere.

I never had any of that through school. I mean, I was never popular, but I wasn’t unpopular either, but it’s cool to have people come up to you and just tell you it’s amazing, it’s awesome and want your photo and stuff. It’s getting recognition and people enjoying your work as much as  you do, it’s a good feeling.

Do you have a particularly memorable moment from a convention?

Yes. The biggest one from memory, the one that’s always stuck with me was when I met the voice actor for Vegeta and Piccolo (Dragon Ball Z), Christopher Sabat. I met him in Supanova a couple of years ago, well, he was there and I met him dressed as Mighty Mask. So I went up to him all like ‘Oh my god it’s him! You’re my favourite voice actor for my characters’ and stuff, but then he came up to me and was just like ‘Your costume is amazing! Can I get a photo?!’

He gave me one of the large poster prints [normally for twenty dollars] for free and signed it  Best Cosplay Ever on it. That’s probably my biggest and favourite cosplay moment, having the vice actor for these amazing characters fangirling over me, when I went there to do that for him! [laughs].  

How would you say that you’ve grown as a cosplayer since you started?

Umm, I guess a bit more of an eye for detail. Even though I don’t sew, [my mum and girlfriend and my sewing machines!] I’ve got more of an eye for fabric and material I guess. I can look at something and through Julia telling me if I can’t use it because it doesn’t sew nicely, I can pick out the fabrics that might look nice but sew horribly.

I guess I’ve learned a lot more about making props, which I suppose I can say is my specialty. Things like Johnny Bravo hair and Crash Bandicoot head... I just like making weird things! [laughs]. I’ve got nicer tools now, so I can do that better, but I guess that’s where I’ve improved over the years.

Cosplaying can be a pretty expensive art. Have you got any tips or habits that you adhere to, to make it as affordable as possible?

Don’t be afraid to shop around. Don’t think that when you see something, this is going to be perfect, the price can rack up dramatically. My most expensive cosplay I think totalled over five hundred dollars, and it was completely bought. Look, making cosplay generally does make it cheaper, unless you’re buying things like extra large sheets of worbla, but I guess then there’s no alternative unless you use foam.



Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo):
Photograph courtesy of
I Got Superpowers

Op shops are a really good place. If you can find something to modify then, do it. Look for alternatives. For example, worbla is an amazing material which you can pretty much make anything out of it, but you might not need to use it. You might be able to use EVA foam, which in comparison is a lot cheaper.

There’s always alternatives to make something a lot cheaper. My Mr Bean cosplay which I haven’t really debuted yet, the costume itself, it’s only cost me around twenty-five dollars; that’s a pair of pants, tie, shirt, jacket and I already had shoes so it was ridiculously affordable.

Is there anything that you would alter or change if you were ever given a do-over?

­Hmm... I don’t think I would to be honest. I’d try to not be as lazy from the start as I can be, and make a better habit of that. I’m lazy, I’m so lazy! [laughs], but there isn’t a lot I would change. I guess you sort of progress and grow as you go along. There might be a few things that I might not have done because how they turned out, but it’s not a lot really that I would change.

Look, you progress and grow as you make mistakes. The biggest thing about mistakes is that you learn from them, and you won’t do it again. You make sure you don’t make that mistake again.

Would you like to make a career or business out of cosplaying, or is this just more of a hobby for you?

It would be awesome to travel around the world and visit conventions, but the reality is that it seems that it would be a really stressful thing at the same time. Especially how lazy I am, I know how hard I’d make it for myself, and I’m not good enough for that anyway [laughs]. Especially when I say that I don’t do all the sewing for mine. Even the famous professionals, they all have help, everybody has help, but I don’t think I could do it. It would be cool, but I don’t think it’s for me.

Unless someone wants to fly me out to a con, I’d happily go! [laughs]. But as long as I wouldn’t get sponsored by worbla and have to make something new in two days or anything, like Kamui does. She’s a machine, and the work she does is incredible.

What is the most important part about cosplaying to you?

Make sure you have fun, and do what you want to do. I’ve had a couple of cons where I’ve left things really last minute and rushed parts, and I’ve not enjoyed the con at all. That’s not what it’s all about, and if you’re going to go to the effort to have a costume, you’re going to want something that you’re going to have fun in.

That’s what cosplay is, it’s about having fun, and if you take that away, then there’s no point. It’s like going to a job that you don’t want to do, and if you’re putting clothes on that you’re not happy with, then it takes away that enjoyment.

If you don’t enjoy it, then what’s the point doing it? Even if you’re wanting to turn it into a career, you still want to enjoy it, wouldn’t you?

Are there any characters that you have on a sort of “dream/wishlist” that you would love to do, without financial restriction or time restrictions?



Miror B (Pokémon Colosseum):
Photograph courtesy of Falcon
Visuals

There’s one that I’ve started getting the stuff for, which has been on the list for a long time, and I honestly wouldn’t even know where to start. But, Totoro will happen! It was going to happen for AVCon, but then I left it too late, and yeah, it just wasn’t going to happen [laughs].

There’s a few such as Gurren Laggan, which if I can get that together, is going to be epic! I don’t know how, but that would be great.

Have you got any new characters coming up that you want to share, or are you keeping them secret?

Well, for AVCon I’m going to be doing the Hero Mode Wind Waker Link, with the lobster shirt. I’m doing a group cosplay as well from Penguin Drum... I haven’t seen that yet so I should probably watch that [laughs] but it’s like a school uniform/formal blazer look.

I think the Friday for AVCon I’m going to be doing Mr Bean, so I want to try and get that sorted out and learn how to do proper face makeup for that and look old and rubbery to get a nice five o’clock shadow going.

Is there any advice you could give to someone that wants to get into cosplaying?

Make sure you enjoy it, and if you want to do something, then it’s best to get onto it early and try and plan it out. Make sure you get the costume done well before the con because you can end up with a lot of unnecessary stress.

I think one of the best things that you can do, and what I’ve started doing, is while it’s nice to have set plans for a costume it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get it done. Originally, I wanted to get Totoro done, and I bought all the fur and instead of continuously trying to force myself to get it done and stressing, it’s okay to have it done for a later con. Don’t take the enjoyment out of it and rush things, because if you take that enjoyment out of it, then it’s not going to be worthwhile.

Even if you don’t have any other costumes to wear, just go in casual with your friends. Go and enjoy what you have with who you have with you.


You can stay up to date with Ayden and his work by following his Facebook page right here:
https://www.facebook.com/SmashingCosplay