I’ve had the absolute pleasure of showcasing many incredible danmei artists (both fan and official) in my artist spotlights to date, and I’m so excited to announce a new flavor of this feature: cosplay.
Clothing, textiles, and costuming is such a rich form of creativity and expression! It’s a part of the tapestry of daily life, a projection of identity, a reflection of self, class, gender, place, and so many other things wrapped into something that is not only admired but worn and used. I’m so fascinated by the ways in which cosplay intersects and builds on those layers as an appreciation of both real and imagined culture and history.
I myself am newer to appreciating cosplay, so before kicking off this new blog feature I leaned into learning. I followed cosplayers on Instagram, chatted with some helpful folks, and checked out danmei cosplay meetups at Otakon and AnimeNYC (if you were there, I was the one awkwardly handing out Danmei Dreams bookmarks!).
There’s still so much for me to learn and appreciate and explore about the art of cosplay, and I can think of no better way to do it than to speak to some amazing danmei cosplayers to see how their art is expressed in this fandom. And I could not be more excited about the first cosplayer to be featured: Ilia Li!
When I first started following danmei cosplayers on Instagram, Ilia’s historically-inspired Xie Lian costume was one of the first to catch my eye. As you can see (and as Ilia themself explains below), they lean deeply into the process. They weave together many different historical traditions to create a costume that’s rich with layers of cultural depth and connection to the past. Ilia is a true artist here, painstakingly handcrafting details that come together progressively to create a rich and profound interpretation of a beloved character. Ilia’s creativity, skill, and vision shine through in a portrayal that is both stunningly unique while somehow also achingly familiar.
Clearly I’ve fallen head over heels for Ilia’s cosplay, and I hope you do too! Without further ado, let me introduce Ilia!
You can also check out the above video on Instagram!
Can you introduce yourself and share a little bit about your background as a cosplayer? Could you share some thoughts on the following:
Your process for the planning and creation of a cosplay
Your research into the elements of Chinese history and culture for your cosplays
Any specific cultural details you enjoy incorporating, like traditional hairpins or embroidery?
How does your heritage or background shape how you engage in historical or fantastic danmei cosplay?
Nice to meet you, I’m Ilia (ee-lee-ah) and I’m a Chinese-American cosplayer/costumer and clothier. I began sewing in 2012, at the start of my teen years. I was a cripplingly shy child and after making my first Halloween costume I noticed I was more confident in costume, and things snowballed from there! Then, as I grew up and began to process my Chinese-American identity, making hanfu and hanfu-inspired clothing/cosplays became a poignant way to connect with my heritage. I am largely self-taught, but have apprenticed at several theatre costume shops and briefly studied bespoke tailoring at the London College of Fashion. In a past life, I pursued a PhD in Neuroscience, but that’s a long story for another time. Now I make hanfu sewing patterns and historical Chinese cosplays, and I have my own slow fashion clothing line where I make one-of-a-kind sensory-friendly hanfu-inspired pieces. When I’m not in the atelier, I enjoy playing DnD/ttrpgs, growing plants, and of course reading danmei. My current favorite danmei are Legend of Exorcism and Ballad of Sword and Wine.
When I begin a new cosplay, my first step is to decide how fantasy-inspired versus historically-inspired I want it to be, which I usually base on the general vibe of the media. For instance, for my Xie Lian crown prince outfit, I decided I wanted all of the elements of the cosplay to have some sort of historical basis, but I decided I was alright combining pieces from different dynasties since TGCF isn’t set in a real dynasty. Next, I sketch out the various layers and decide on what motifs I want to include. I love storytelling through clothing, and historical Chinese clothing always contains a lot of symbolism in the motifs that are embroidered or painted onto the textiles so it’s a perfect medium for me. For instance, for my crown prince Xie Lian cosplay I wanted Hua Cheng to be present throughout the design in subtle ways, so I decided to paint two sparrows on the bixi (knee covering/apron) since they are a symbol of a happy and harmonious marriage, and of course I connected them with a beaded red thread of fate.
Ilia’s hand-painted bixi featuring two house sparrows sitting on gardenia branches and holding the red thread of fate to symbolize Hua Cheng and Xie Lian’s connection.
After I finish my design, I drape a mockup, which usually takes a couple tries until I get the fit right. Patterning is definitely the least glamorous part of cosplay, but I think it’s the most important part since it ensures a nice final fit. After finalizing the pattern, the next step is textile customization, so things like silk painting, embroidery, etc. My favorite technique to use in cosplay is silk painting, which I think has become my signature look! Textile customization always takes the longest, but I always feel so calm and peaceful when I get to sit down and paint. After the textile customization, the actual sewing construction is really fast. I finish things off with any beading, accessory-making, and wig styling. My longest cosplay builds can take nearly 300 hours to complete!
Whenever possible, I do like to utilize historical techniques because it makes me feel connected to my cultural roots. For instance, when I made my Xie Lian crown prince cosplay I went down a bit of a rabbithole learning to make ronghua (silk velvet flowers). It took so much trial and error to get the hang of making the petals, but I’m so pleased with how they turned out and I really loved knowing that I was making something in the same way that my ancestors might have done hundreds of years ago (I made a 2 part ronghua tutorial if anyone would like to learn as well! Part 1Part 2).
Ilia’s handmade ronghua (silk velvet flowers) for their Xie Lian Crown Prince Cosplay.
I get a lot of requests for advice from people who want to try making historically-inspired danmei cosplay but don’t know where to start. My best recommendation for anyone a little nervous to try designing and creating their own historically-inspired danmei cosplay for the first time is to head to your local library and read a couple history books about Chinese clothing. My personal favorites are Chinese Clothing by Hua Mei and 5000 Years of Chinese Clothing by Xun Zhou and Gao Chunming. Clothes can contain so much rich storytelling, and it’s much easier to portray a character knowing the historical context.
Crafting the Character
Do you aim for a perfect recreation of a character’s canon look, or do you enjoy adding your own unique flair or interpretation to the design? Can you give an example?
In a lot of my past work I did try for perfect recreations of a character’s canon look, but these days I prefer to do my own visual storytelling and design. I like the freedom that book characters give me because the descriptions always allow for a lot of creative liberty. I went into this briefly above, but historical Chinese clothing is so well-suited to storytelling since there is a deep-rooted tradition of symbolic motifs. For instance, I wanted my Xie Lian crown prince cosplay to depict him first and foremost as a flower god. I spent a long time thinking about what kind of flowers to include in my crown prince Xie Lian cosplay because I wanted them to look like the white flower Hua Cheng leaves at Xie Lian’s shrine, but also have appropriate symbolism. I settled on gardenias/cape jasmine which symbolize honor and happiness; magnolias which symbolize resilience, purity, and nobility; and peonies which symbolize nobility, prosperity, and love in Chinese culture which are all qualities I feel suit Xie Lian. I also wanted Hua Cheng to be subtly present throughout the outfit, so I hid butterflies amongst the flowers.
Hand-painted white gardenias on Xie Lian’s hanfu sleeves with gold filigree butterflies.
Sharing Your Work
Beyond the costume itself, how do you like to share your work with others? Do you prefer showcasing your cosplay at live events and conventions, through stylized photoshoots, or a mix of both?
Are there any other ways that you engage with the danmei fan community? Tutorials, meetups, reading groups, other art forms, etc?
I love to share the details of my crafting progress, so please check out my socials if you’d like to see videos of how I make everything! While I love wearing my work and doing photoshoots, at the heart of everything is a simple love for making things. I would like to be better at attending live events and conventions, if you’d like to see me guest at an event near you, do let the event coordinators know!
These days I have also been trying to post more crafting tutorials for topics such as silk painting and traditional Chinese handicrafts. I also have begun offering my hanfu sewing patterns, which can be found on my website and would be great for danmei and wuxia cosplays or historical reenactment costumes! I love seeing what folks make with my sewing patterns!
Looking Ahead & Advice
What’s next for you as a cosplayer? Do you have any upcoming projects or characters you are excited to bring to life?
I’m currently working on a cosplay of Kong Hongjun from Legend of Exorcism. I love the imagery of Hongjun as a peacock yaoguai, so I patterned his jacket sleeves and coattails to look like wings and a tail and I’ll paint peacock feathers all down the jacket. I also plan to paint his vest with representations of each of the main characters moving across it, to look like the mural of a ballad. It will be a time-intensive undertaking, but I believe the result will be worth it! I do a lot of historically-inspired work, but Legend of Exorcism has such great action scenes and xianxia energy, that I decided to go with a very fantasy-inspired look this time.
On the left: patterning mockup for my Kong Hongjun cosplay. On the right: materials spotlight for my Kong Hongjun cosplay.
I’m also currently working on a historically-inspired cosplay of Jinshi from Apothecary Diaries, making his court official robes. I’m planning to release my sewing pattern for his zhiduo and yuanlingpao as soon as it’s done!
Appreciation
Ilia’s form of storytelling, expressive creativity, and meticulously crafted appreciation for these incredible danmei characters absolutely floors me. I highly encourage you to take some time to appreciate their work, explore their catalog, and follow them for new updates. And if you find Ilia’s work as incredibly rich as I do, please consider buying some of their hanfu-inspired patterns or even just a coffee in appreciation.
