Last May at MCM Comic Con in London I met a cosplayer that I am pleased to call a friend today. I was just finishing photographing a cosplayer when this dude dressed up as Frozone and walks up and says “Honey, Where is my super suit?” I was like dude you have to let me photograph you. It wasn’t just the cosplay but he also captured the essence of the character. Fast forward a few months later in October and we crossed paths again. This time he was Neo from the Matrix and then T’Challa, Black Panther. Then we crossed paths in November at Comic Con in Birmingham where he killed a Heimdall cosplay. We saw Justice League for the 2nd time and well their were rants after the movie 🙂 We recently shot in London the week that Star Wars: The Last Jedi dropped to do a Black Panther/Jedi mashup. Some of those photos are below but the others I will be releasing later. I find a genuine respect for the work that cosplayers put into their cosplays and I am pleased to have Ugo by my first Cosplay Spotlight. Check out the insane number of cosplays Ugo did in 2017, what he has planned this year and the answer to what he thought of the Justice League movie.
What got you into cosplaying?
In my first con I saw so many people dressed up and having fun, it appealed to the creative side of me.
How long have you been cosplaying?
On and off, 3 years.
Can you see yourself doing this for the next 10 years?
I don’t think so, but never say never.
Do you make your own cosplays or do you commission them?
I tend to do a mixture of putting mine together or buy it from a store (usually anime is bought from a store, the rest I put together)
How do you feel when people tell you they love your cosplay or when kids see you as a hero?
It’s encouraging that my art was interpreted as what was intended, it’s encouraging. As for the kids, I love feeding their imagination!
What is your favorite cosplay?
I guess in terms of what I’ve done, Black Panther
Do you have a cosplay pet peeve?
Hmm… not so much. None that come to mind.
Do you use color contacts? I know the answer to this lol
Heh, I’ve had to do this once, quite recently for Heimdall. It was incredibly awkward! My eyesight was inversely proportional to Heimdall.
What are some of the places cosplay has taken you?
Oh, New York, Glasgow Tokyo… and hopefully more in future!
If you could go anywhere in the world to cosplay where would it be?
San Diego Comic Con!
How was your 1 st convention?
It was fun, but I wasn’t in costume, and by the end I wished I was, given others were having so much fun.
How have you improved since then?
Very much so!
What is the best part of cosplaying? (Designing, building or the actual con?)
Hard to say, perhaps the actual con, because I love sharing it with cosplayers and seeing what cosplayers have to offer. But building is all part of the fun for me.
Do you think people should be familiar with the people they cosplay?
I’m not as hardlined as others about this issue. Sometimes you just love a costume, and you want to wear it. I don’t have a problem with people doing this if they’re not familiar with the character. But I think the natural tendency is to find out more about the character.
What is cosplaying to you?
Becoming a character you love, or love the look of, with whatever means you have at your disposal and having fun with it!
You seem to adopt the spirit of the cosplays. Is it important to you to be in character?
For me, very much so. I tend to pick characters I love or can identify with in some way. I also have done impressions and voiceovers, so I like getting stuck right into the character.
How long does it typically take to make your cosplays?
It varies really. Could be a week like Heimdall or a few months on and off. If I put the time together it wouldn’t be so long though.
How did you manage 27 cosplays in 2017?
I’m trying to figure that out myself! I tend to be able to do whatever I put my mind to in general, as long as there is enough passion. My brain always likes to do something new, but I’m trying to be more disciplined for 2018!
What cosplays do you have planned for the future?
I’m doing my best to repeat some cosplays. But new ones will be the Black Panther 2018 costume, Iron Man model prime, Pacific Rim pilot, Dino Thunder Red Ranger and a Voltron Paladin!
What did you think of the Justice League movie?
Hahaha! I can’t believe you’re asking me this. It’s hard to sum up. It’s like a mystery chocolate box, where a lot of the chocolates are random and don’t like the flavour. But there are the few flavours you really love.
See the gallery below for some of the cosplay photos I have taken of Ugo!
You can follow Ugo on http://instagram.com/ugoandcosplay and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ugoandcosplay