The Secret World of Cosplay

Fandom
Cosplay is a form of role-playing in which enthusiasts dress up as their favorite Japanese anime, comic-book and video-game characters. Although some cosplayers simply don off-the-rack costumes, the truly dedicated create outfits from scratch. Brennan West, who goes by the cosplay alias Bur Loire, has made about 70 costumes over the course of her cosplay career. "I went to an anime convention back in 2005, knowing nothing about the fandom or what cosplay even was, and became instantly hooked!" she says. "For every convention, me and several groups of friends end up liking the same new series coming out, and every time, we end up wanting an outfit or two from that series! So we use conventions as an excuse to make them."

• Cosplay Goes Global