Tempo asked Cosplay master Yaya Han about cosplaying! She opened up about how she started, the challenges she overcame, and her exciting next plans.
TEMPO: Tell us who Yaya Han is.
Yaya: I’m a costume designer, cosplayer and model, living and working in the United States. However, I was born in China, and raised in Germany and China, so my personality and work ethic comes from three different cultures. I never imagined I’d pursue Cosplay as a profession, but I really love working for myself, and building an artistic company.
TEMPO: How long have you been cosplaying and modeling?
Yaya: I discovered Cosplay in 1999, when it was a tiny underground community, and when I was just a n00b kid! There was no cosplay industry, and not even the slightest possibility of doing cosplay professionally. The cosplay community I entered was completely hobbyist driven, and I jumped in headfirst as an avid fan – making horrible costumes, and learning all kinds of construction techniques along the way. After a few years of making a lot of costumes, and winning a long list of costuming awards at conventions, I started being asked to do panels and programming as a guest, and I realized that my passion for cosplay turned a hobby into a lifestyle. I began relying on cosplay as my sole source of income from 2005. Because there was, and still is, no paved path for cosplay as a career, I had to try different avenues within. For several years I made costumes for people, indie movies, theatre, night clubs and TV shows – using my skills as a costume designer and maker for my income. But when someone else dictates what you should make, your creativity gets stifled. I wanted to design and to make costumes, and to continue challenging my skills. So I shifted gears and started a cosplay accessories store where I design and hand-make unique copyrighted items at a low price so many people can enjoy dressing up instantly. I pair that with building my own brand as Yaya Han, and travel to over 20 conventions worldwide to be a guest, panelist or exhibitor. I have also partnered up with McCall Pattern Company, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Bernina Sewing Machines, and am spending a lot of time designing, creating, and advocating for better, more useful and easy to access materials and tools for cosplayers/costumers.
TEMPO: What’s your creative process like?
Yaya: I usually have a huge list of costumes that I want to make, and often it’s a matter of time and the prospect of an event that decides which one I tackle first. I am a self-proclaimed materials hoarder, and have an abundance of fabrics, notions, trims, prop making materials, paints and tools in my house. Because my life is so fast paced, I have to allot days or weeks for costume making, and I try to plan ahead and gather all materials needed, before I start on a new project. I am most efficient when I binge-craft, so often, I won’t leave my house for days, roll from my bed room to my craft room, work all day and night, and roll back to bed.
I love experimenting with makeup, and I try to execute my makeup with as much detail as my costumes. Makeup is truly a part of cosplay!
TEMPO: Of all the cosplays you’ve done so far which is your favourite?
Yaya: It’s hard to pick favourites because I feel attached to all of the 300 plus costumes that I’ve made. If you twist my arm, I’ll name the following: Heartseeker Ashe, League of Legends. It was such a great design, and I had a blast making the costume. Another is My Peacock costume – because it was made into a commercial sewing pattern last year by McCall’s Patterns! Another is Arkham City Catwoman because love posing in this costume, and it’s super comfortable. Selina is such a multi-faceted, fantastic character. Then there’s Carmilla, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: I loved the total transformation of this costume, and creatively it was the biggest challenge I encountered at the time.
TEMPO: What were your most, and least, expensive cosplays?
Yaya: I don’t think money has any impact on the quality of value of a costume. I’ve made costumes for as little as $20, and as much as $1500. But budgeting and shopping smartly is always key for me, because I started out cosplaying as a broke teen, and to this day still have the same money-saving mentality.
TEMPO: What was the best moment you had doing your cosplay?
Yaya: My best experience in cosplay was during San Diego Comic Con 2011 – I made a Daenerys costume based on the Song of Ice and Fire books, and met George RR Martin, who signed my costume! He told me to come to the Game of Thrones panel and invited me to come backstage and meet the actors, just as they came off the stage! It was a surreal and amazing experience, and I am so grateful to George for his generosity and kindness.
TEMPO: What are the challenges in cosplay that you had to overcome?
Yaya: My bigger challenge was when I quit my salary job in 2005, to start a cosplay commission business. It was terrifying, and I learned some very harsh life lessons since. Turning your hobby into a business requires a lot of discipline, time management, and non-stop work every day. It is still difficult sometimes for me to juggle all of the unpleasant business related tasks such as taxes, contracts, and other paper work. But even on my worst day of working for myself, I am happier than working for someone else.
TEMPO: How have people around you reacted to your success?
Yaya: My first ever costume was completely unknown – I made Kurama’s costume from Yuyu Hakusho, but did not use a wig, or put on makeup. No one knew who I was but the feeling of wearing something that I made from scratch was exhilarating! I also remember the feeling I had when someone asked me for a photo for the first time! Surreal and so exciting!
These days, people are so kind and welcoming of my costumes! I just debuted my Pokemon Go Trainer costume, and it’s been so fun to go around with other Pokemon Gijinka cosplayers, and to take photos together! The first time you put on a costume is definitely magical, and an experience worth all of the sleepless nights.
TEMPO: Which fellow cosplayers inspire you most?
Yaya: Oh my gosh, there are so many cosplayers that I admire! I feel so lucky because my travels have led me to meeting some of them in person, and I have even become friends with them! Kamui Cosplay from Germany, Laura Sindall and Cosplex from the UK, Ryoko and Rei from Russia, Aly and K from Australia, Nikita, Anshella and from France, Shinju from Romania… they are all cosplayers I have admired for years, and now am friends with! In the US I really appreciate the work by God Save the Queen Fashion, Punished Props, and Enlaya. There so many cosplayers that I love that it seems unfair to only name a few. There is a lot of talent and skill in cosplay, and it’s incredibly exciting to see new techniques and ideas being developed!
TEMPO: Describe a normal day in the life of Yaya Han.
Yaya: My life is split up in two very different worlds. When I’m home in Atlanta, a normal day would start off with answering important emails, then going to my warehouse to hold meetings with my employees, sign merchandise, and take care of other business related matters. Then I either have skype or phone call meetings, or I go run errands. In the afternoon, once all the business related tasks are done, I can finally lock myself in my craft room and work on a costume until the wee hours in the night.
I spend most of my weekends at conventions, so those days generally start super early, because I like to eat breakfast, and take my time getting ready in costume. I usually take 2 – 3 hours to leisurely do my makeup, prep the costume (ironing!) and get dressed. Then it’s a whirlwind of cosplay panels, autograph signings, photos, and programming such as judging a costume contest. I’m often in costume for 12+ hours per day, which can be very exhausting, but still as thrilling as the first time I cosplayed. If I’m lucky, I can sneak away for 30 min to an hour to do a photoshoot.
All in all, my life is 50 per cent sweatpants and hair in a bun, and 50 per cent glamorous globetrotting and event appearances, lol.
TEMPO: Any future plans that you would like to share with the community?
Yaya: My two biggest projects currently are designing cosplay-focused patterns for McCall Pattern, and creating the Yaya Han Cosplay Fabrics Line for Jo-Ann Fabrics. Both lines are very dear to my heart, and require a tremendous amount of work. I will be continuing to create new items with McCall and Jo-Ann that are geared toward helping cosplayers. Of course I have more costumes to make: some from comic books, some from video games, and some original designs. I am also traveling to a lot of international events in 2016, and have really enjoyed getting to know the different cosplay communities so far. I can’t wait to come back to the UAE and meet more cosplayers in Abu Dhabi during Fun Nation!
TEMPO: Any advice you’d like to give to aspiring cosplayers?
Yaya: Cosplay is an art form, and a fan expression, so find the balance between both: have fun with each cosplay you put together, but also enjoy the exploration of creativity. Take advantage of all the great resources out there, from materials to tutorials. Google and Youtube can teach you just about any technique, and research makes your hands on work so much easier. Also, remember that anyone can cosplay, and that your body type, skin tone, gender, and size should not hinder you from becoming your favourite character.
TEMPO: How can people get in touch with you?
Connect with Yaya: www.yayahan.com or FB: http://facebook.com/yayacosplay
