As we just ended off Comic Con Africa 2022, the first convention since 2019, we look at Durban’s own Champion of Cosplay, Jinxie Cosplay a.k.a Kelsey Atkins!
What is the art of “cosplay”? What does it mean? Cosplay is a combination of the words “costume” and “play”. It’s an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. It is taking characters from movies, comics, anime, video games, animation and even history and then crafting props and outfits to transform yourself into those characters no matter how weird, bizarre or extreme.
Cosplayers take the opportunity to showcase their creations at conventions held 3 – 4 times a year worldwide. Those who attend conventions dress up as a tribute to those characters who have inspired them and sometimes even compete in competitions to show off their skill and proudly display their characters.
For Kelsey Atkins, the face behind her company Jinxie Cosplay, cosplay is a fulfilling source of creativity and inspiration. “The idea is to bring your favourite characters to life entirely with wigs, makeup and amazing outfits.” Kelsey picked up cosplay as a hobby in 2014, and by 2018, she was able to monetise it and make it her full-time career. This is her way of expressing her creativity and love for the media sources she draws inspiration from. When she isn’t crafting away in her workshop, you can find her gaming, modelling alternative fashion shoots or working on her pole fitness routines, something she is highly passionate about.
Kelsey started simple, with her first project being Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. “The show was so beautiful, with the outfits, locations and storytelling, and I wanted to be part of that in my way,” she describes, “At the time, I looked up to Daenerys as a strong female role model and cosplaying her was my way of embodying that for myself.” A year later, hooked on cosplay, she started making outfits to enter local competitions and wear to conventions. “I met our South African community, and it was incredibly inspiring to find other people who were as passionate about crafting and creating as I was!” she exclaims excitedly.
Producing these outfits in South Africa isn’t easy. We have limited access to materials, opportunities and events here that those overseas have access to, which makes our artists all that more incredible. “It’s a setback that many of us had to work around for our more ambitious projects,” Kelsey explains, “There have been times I’ve had to think out of the box and get creative with solutions to making the weird and wonderful elements of certain creations.” Since we haven’t had events since 2019, keeping the motivation to keep working on projects can be difficult. “I’ve managed to push through and keep a steady pace on my cosplay creations,” she shares, “I keep revisiting those games, shows and movies that inspire me and use that to conquer the hard times.”
For her Championship Cosplay entry for Comic Con Africa 2019 in Johannesburg, Kelsey created Priestess Bathory. She describes the concept of this character as: “What if the historical figure Elizabeth Bathory was part of a dark fantasy video game or anime?” She worked with the artist Cinderys to create a lavish design with details, sewing and crafting elements, large-scale props and a motorised weapon! She knew she would have to take the outfit on a flight, so she planned to make it as easy to transport as possible from the beginning. “The larger props can be disassembled into smaller pieces and reassembled with little effort,” she explains, “The dress has layers that can be individually folded and packed neatly to take up as little space as possible.”
“Winning the championships with Priestess Bathory, both locally at Comic Con Africa and then internationally at C2E2 in Chicago, was surreal,” she recalls fondly. She had about four to five months to put it together. Much of it was spent making mock-ups of everything and hunting high and low through all the fabric shops in Durban for the correct types of satin, lace, pearls and beads. “Priestess Bathory does cover so many aspects of cosplay. Sewing, hand embroidery, beading, corsetry, armour-making, painting, 3D printing and electronics,” Kelsey observes, “And every part was laboured over with the utmost love!” “Hearing my name called as the winner made all the late nights and frustrations I dealt with all worth it,” she gushes, “I nearly fainted backstage!”
Another highlight of her career has been partnering with Ubisoft, “Back in 2020, after the big competitions had ended, I decided to take a break from competing and try to develop my cosplay career with new challenges,” she recounts. Kelsey is a gamer through and through, and one of her favourite games is Assassin’s Creed.
“I had heard rumours of a new Assassin’s Creed game release for 2020 and managed to put myself out there as a candidate to cosplay from the game,” she relates. Ubisoft signed her up to cosplay Eivor, the main character of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and to document and post her journey while creating the outfit.
“The campaign was so successful and met with such a good response they signed me up to cosplay Fenyx from their new game, Immortals: Fenyx Rising,” Kelsey recalls, “With her glowing sword and wings, and Spartan armour design, they were another set of challenges I hadn’t done before. I learned much from the campaign, and Ubisoft was thrilled with my rendition of Fenyx!”
With the world returning to normal, events are finally starting again. Comic Con Africa will be returning in September, and Kelsey has a list of cosplays she is making to debut there. “I’m currently working on my gaming cosplays from Genshin Impact and Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as a new rendition of Daenerys Targaryen!” she grins.
“For anyone looking to start cosplay, now is a perfect time,” Kelsey advises, “Just find a character you love and dive right in!” Challenges will come your way, but keep crafting on and let your love for your character shine through every prop and stitch! “In the end, though,” she concludes, “Cosplay is about having fun and sharing your love for a character. So, if you’re doing that and cherishing the experience, you’re a winner in my book!”
Words: Cristina Govender
Photos: DTJAAAAM, Dylan Foonk & Cosplay Central