Please introduce yourself. Where do you come from and how old are you?
My name is Sapphire but i’m known as Owl, of Owldolly Cosplay! I live in London, England.

At what age did you start with the Cosplay and what made you do it?
I started cosplaying when I was around 21 years old, my friend took me to a convention and I wanted to try out cosplay myself after seeing everyone dressed up! I started taking it more seriously around 6 years ago.

Cosplay originated in Japan in the 1980s, but is now popular everywhere. Why do you think it is so successful?
As nerd and comic culture has become more popular it’s only natural that cosplay would follow, since people want to show their appreciation for the characters and fandoms that mean so much to them. I’m definitely glad it’s become more popular and it’s easier to source everything from character wigs and full costumes to materials for creating.

What is your favourite character you did cosplay already?
I’ve fallen in love with Genshin impact and currently cosplay Sucrose, Ganyu and Venti who I love dearly. I’ve been fortunate enough to cosplay pretty much all of my favourite, and childhood favourites over the years.

What was your best experience as a cosplayer so far?
Cosplay has really bought me out of my shell and I have so much to thank this hobby for. I was mute at school and didn’t have any friends – now I have loads and I’m very confident! So overall the confidence and friends it has bought me over the years. I also met my partner at a convention which may not have happened otherwise as we were cosplaying from the same series and that’s how we started talking.

Do you have any bad experiences with cosplaying?
The positives outweigh the negatives, but mostly creepy con photographers asking for me to ‘go back to their place’ for a shoot.

Are you doing cosplay on conventions? Where could one meet you?
I am indeed! I am living in England, UK so I attend London & Birmingham MCM, Hyper Japan, Amecon, Kitacon, and i’m also planning to attend the new convention Kokorocon. I try and attend most events here that aren’t too far out.

Are you creating your costumes yourself?
I both make and buy. I work a full time job outside of cosplay, so time is limited meaning many of my costumes these days are bought. I enjoy making props and recently made Venti’s Lyre.

What do you do when you're not cosplaying? Do you still have a day job?
I have a full time office-based job I work during the week and also OnlyFans as a side job.

What are your future plans or your greatest dreams?
To create more cosplays and continue this wonderful hobby, work with my photographer friends to create more beautiful images of my favourite characters, and become the best version of myself I can possibly be.

Do you think social media like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook is important for cosplayers?
It is important to use social media as a cosplayer these days, as it’s how your work is shown to the world. It’s particularly important if you rely on cosplay for income. But it’s also important not to get burnt out and take breaks.

Many cosplayers are on Patreon or Onlyfans. How is this working out for you as everyone seems to do it?
Certainly more people are doing it. If you can make money from something you spend so much time and effort on, you have every right to turn that into a source of income. The market is crowded, but if you work hard a then people will notice you. There is space for us all.

It is often difficult to tell whether a woman is still a cosplayer or already an erotic model. What do you think about that?
The two can co-exist. Cosplay is when the intention is still to portray a character, regardless of amount of clothes. People have found new ways to express themselves through cosplay and that’s not a bad thing as long as you are aware of the kind of content you are producing and are comfortable with it being on the internet forever. Erotic modelling/boudoir content can be cosplay or it’s own category. Both regular cosplay and ero cosplay are forms of cosplay.

Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans and followers?
Don’t give up on your dreams and keep at it! We only get one life so let’s live it to the fullest :D