I remember going to Blue C Sushi (RIP) after work some years ago without doing the "con" math. Everywhere around me, kids with costumes or floofy tails or both were abound - some eating in the restaurant, others on the receiving end of perplexed looks from downtown traffic barely edging along. Seems super quaint compared to what the cosplay world looks like today!
I remember when a dude dressed in Star Wars storm trooper armor would show up somewhere and all our brains instantly broke with excitement. Though still cool, that costume bar has been significantly raised.
I sat down with cosplayer Hannah Ferguson just a few weeks before Renton City Comic Con (RenCon) takes over Renton Technical College for a weekend of cosplay, panels, and even a touch of charity! She and her friends at Zak Labs build costumes and props for themselves or commission for the rainbow of characters that people want to portray at their favorite convention.
She's done some incredible work:
There are so many more costumes/characters of Hannah on Instagram @ninjacatcosplay. She's a rad person, and should you ever need help building something, be sure to hit up @ZakLabs. They're so nice and fun and have a ton of cool gear and ideas to help make awesome stuff. Now I just wanna make a Soundwave costume for me and Rumble for my kiddo