Local cosplay winners to compete internationally

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

In their second shot at the Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup (C4) cosplay competition, two locals were awarded top marks, earning them first place and an all-expense paid spot to their first ever international competition – the C4 finals at AnimeCon in the Netherlands in June 2020.
On May 18 at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, dressed as Miguel and Tulio from The Road to El Dorado, Autumn Desjardins and her partner Conor Anderson stole the show with their handmade costumes and con man skit.
“Our performance included us making our own costumes, sets and props, as well as performing a two-and-a-half-minute skit,” said Desjardins. “The performance was about the two con men, Miguel and Tulio, trying to scam the audience into thinking they are gods. When Miguel messes up, and accidentally mentions that they are humans not gods, they ‘fight’ their way out of it so they can escape,” she said.
The duo competed in the same competition last year and walked away with third place. They were able to take what they learned last year, such as better time management and what to focus on, to up their game and create this year’s performance, placing them first out of seven teams.
One key component of the competition was that 80 per cent of their costumes had to be homemade. The duo made everything from head to toe from scratch and every piece of clothing was custom fit. They made skirts, headdresses, armour, tops and props, and they cut and styled their wigs and hand-beaded their footwear. They also created their own skit and audio tracks for the skit.
Desjardins noted they are a strong team – she is in charge of crafting the costumes while Anderson creates the on-stage performance.
“A common comment (we received) was that we had very high energy in our skit and that it was entertaining… (we have) passion for what we do, we love the characters, costumes, skit and the overall contest,” said Desjardins. “That’s what helped us give it our all.”
The next step for the duo is to compete internationally as Team Canada in the C4 competition at AnimeCon next year and they hope to start planning their new act, costumes, skit and props by the end of summer, after a well-deserved break.
They hope to test out some different styles of skits, such as involved fight scenes, in the coming months at more local conventions. Once they decide on what type of skit they like and wish to perform at the finals, they will narrow down the series and costumes they will recreate for the international competition.
“I love using cosplay as a creative outlet in my life. I am learning so many techniques and skills that apply to cosplay and real life, and being a huge nerd helps. I have a way to express my nerdiness to the world in the best way possible,” said Desjardins. She added that although they may wear their Miguel and Tulio costumes again, they are retired from competing as they have won major awards, following the lead of an unwritten cosplay rule.
At C4, along with their first-place finish, the Miguel costume won the best masters craftsmanship award, both Miguel and Tulio won C4, and the combination of those awards helped them win the overall cosplay comprehensive award which is an overall weekend winner award.
For now, the pair will be taking it easy, attending a couple of local conventions, coming up with ideas for the finals and just enjoying cosplay for what it is.
“Cosplay is important because it’s full of artistic expression. You can draw, build, act, do photo editing – all these different skills can be used for one activity,” said Anderson. “It lets people make whatever they want.”