Izzy Askew

Taken by Mary Wills

 Izzy Askew 

Izzy is an 22 year old cosplay from the UK. To her cosplay is not just a hobby. She can be herself when she is cosplaying, even if it is another person. Bringing a character to life for her is being able to embody that person and put her own spin on said character. It is another way for her to be able to connect to other people and share that joy that comes from cosplay.

What is cosplay?

Cosplay is an art form that allows a person to dress as a character from books, TV shows, or any other form of media. People can make costumes from hand. buy them or do closest cosplays- which is outfits very similar to the character or their own spins on said character. There is no set age for cosplay. It is a thriving community of people that come together to share their love for the characters and to share their art. 

When did Izzy start cosplaying?

Izzy started cosplaying about five to six years ago. When the awful lockdown had struck the UK and everyone was kept inside. That is when she discovered the magical world of cosplay and all that entails! 

Why did Izzy start cosplaying?

She started to cosplay because it had always been there, even before she knew what it was. From a  young age Izzy was performing in different types of theatre, which would certainly kick off a love for costumes and dressing up! Her favourite part was the transformation that took place. As she says in her own words she went from 'regular-day-Izzy' to someone else entirely. This allowed her freedom to be move and visual herself as someone utterly different. She found that it was something special to experience the world of WHAM and then be able to transform alongside it. 

What characters does Izzy continually return too?

 Taken by Mary Wills. 

Izzy has an absolute love for Alice in Wonderland, it is no surprise that one of her characters she continually returns to is The Mad Hatter! It is where she started out and is a character that she loves to evolve and grow with. As she says; I love to grow, change and experiment with [mad hatter]- after all, weird is wonderful.' 

Who does she cosplay as?

Izzy has a huge retinue of characters that she cosplays as. From The Mad Hatter to her own character Fae to Merida and many many others! Each one is just as fantastic as the last one. She loves to cosplay anyone that has a quirky, creative nature. Some of the franchises you will see her cosplay a lot from are Hazbin Hotel, Scooby Doo, and many other shows too. 

What does Izzy think the unwritten rules are for cosplay?

This will be from her email: BE KIND! At the end of the day we're all expressing our art and how cool is that?! The fact we get to share and experience this weird and wonderful world together is beautiful and I think people forget that sometimes. Let people exist! Be respectful! Respect boundaries! (Both at comic con and online!) Very simple rules of human decency that sometimes get lost when people see a character they've experienced a liking/disliking of. Luckily, it is the minority of people that need reminding about this because the majority of people are so respectful, but I'll say it once and I'll say it again- be kind!

If someone is just starting out, what advice would Izzy give them?

From her email: Be weird! Be wonderful! And most importantly have the courage to exist cosplaying whoever you want to! Whatever body type you have, whatever your gender, race, sexuality, whoever you are- cosplay is for everyone! You are beautiful and valid, share your art and have fun!

What can we expect from Izzy next?

Her plans are to redo some of her cosplays from the last five years. She finds beauty in testing her skills in new ways and finds she accept herself and be more comfortable in the cosplayer she is today. So we can expect some very great things from Izzy! 

What does she think is the most challenging aspect to cosplay?

Izzy ahs stated that she finds the body image and self doubt that creeps into her brain the most challenging. She worries about little irrelevant details of her costumes or about the makeup, or if her vision has worked. However, once she gets past this she realizes that social standards are not real and do not really exist. That is if you do not let them exist with yourself. 

Where can you find her?

You can find Izzy on both  Instagram and Tiktok under @Izzyfaecosplay. She is not a frequent cosplayer within comic cons anymore, as she prefers quieter day to day cosplay than louder atmosphere and pressure that can come with a con. You will often find her working alongside her very talented partner @Its.shotbyjack on instagram, who also runs a production company called @hollowcrowproductions (both can be found on youtube and instagram). 

If you wish to be featured please find the contact details either for Mary Wills or Wills & Co.