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Cosplay & Performance

Official Cosplan Frames

Want to share your cosplans for Tekko this year? Feel free to use our special frame and share them on social media!

Download the official frame :

Cosplay Guests

StarsOfCassiopeia

StarsOfCassiopeia (she/her) has been crafting award-winning mixed media cosplays since 2008. Cass graduated from Harvard with a degree in Engineering, worked in the 3D printing field for multiple years, and loves combining that professional design experience with historical design influences and elaborate hand-sewn detailing. In addition to 6+ years of experience teaching panels at cons, she also teaches Intro to Making at MIT, and co-founded the cosplay commission-centric website http://Cosmosii.com .

Black Bettie

Jamila aka Black Bettie Cosplay (they/them) is a nonbinary cosplayer and photographer that has been creating costumes, props and content for over fifteen years. They have a background in theatre production/costuming and love to bring characters to life by transforming themself with makeup, wigs, and detailed costumes. They have created numerous cosplays over the years for themself and clients, and have experience with tailoring, building and styling wigs, foam work, resin and using unconventional/recycled materials. They are also known for their expressive character performance and close attention to details, handy skills as a cosplay and lip-sync contest judge for numerous conventions in the Pacific Northwest and online.

As a professional cosplayer, they work hard to spread that message that cosplay is for everyone and encourage more diverse representation within the community and with the various brands they work with as an influencer or brand ambassador.

MelPool Cosplay

Mel (he/him) is a cosplayer, content creator, gamer, and esports caster from the Washington DC Metro Area. He has been cosplaying for over 10 years and is known for big armor builds and foam and 3D-printed props. He has cosplayed from various anime, comic, and video gaming series such as Halo, Mass Effect, DC Comics, and Nintendo. Mel has recently expanded his cosplay skills to include sewing, electronics, and makeup to create intricate cosplays that incorporate multiple disciplines and skills. He has won awards in several different cosplay contests, and has even won MarioKart tournaments! Mel is excited to share his experience and knowledge with Tekko and the Pittsburgh community! 

Lady Cels

Lady Cels is a Maryland-based cosplayer and costumer who has a passion for teaching. She is an accomplished, award winning maker who creates her own costumes from scratch who has competed, won, and judged at several conventions in the US.

She holds a BFA in Costume Tech and an MA in Puppetry Fabrication and has taught professionally for over a decade in both university and K-12th maker education. She works frequently as a panelist, teacher, and cosplay judge at several conventions on the east coast.

She is also a disabled cosplayer who advises and coaches others with the same disability (ASD and EDS). She strives to help create accessibility as well as acceptance within the cosplay community. Cosplay is for everyone.

Rakumaroo

Rakumaroo (she/her) has performed at various conventions since 2016, with Tekko being her first. She has won judge's choice, first place, and best in show prizes over the years and performed the masquerade half-time show for Tekko 2022. She loves writing and performing anime themed musicals and hopes everyone will love this year's show!

Lutavia Cosplay

Lutavia Cosplay (they/them) is a nonbinary award-winning cosplayer and maker from Houston, Texas, who specializes in cosplay craftsmanship education for all, telling a story through costuming, and exploring new techniques through a mix of both armor and fabric designs. Their passion stems from making cosplay accessible at any scale for any design, from managing cost constraints and time to working with chronic illness or a full time job. With years of cosplay experience, paneling, and tons of tutorials and resources created for the community, there's nothing more they love than seeing your amazing costumes and helping with cosplay challenges, especially in their first visit to Pittsburgh and here at Tekko!

AJ Cosplay

AJ (they/them) is a Puerto Rican and Haitian non-binary cosplayer who's been cosplaying for over ten years, and been involved in almost every facet of the western anime fan community. They've worked as a model for companies like Aniplex of America and Funimation, co-founded an independent news outlet called The Cartoon Cipher, are a freelance writer for websites like Anime News Network, and have even started Vtubing! They can't wait to create even more memories at Tekko through this medium of self expression they love so much.

Jez Roth

Cirque du Soleil. Celebrities. One Piece. EDC. Red Carpets. School of Cosplay.

After many years of competing at anime convention masquerades, winning Best in Show 17 times with tailored costumes and heavily choreographed skits, he moved to Las Vegas to work for The Venetian designing the Opera Gowns. Eventually he landed at Cirque du Soleil’s water spectacular O building costumes.

Since leaving Cirque, he has worked freelance out of his own studio – creating everything from mermaids that shoot water, to Mirrorball Men, and Golden Fairies that contort through the air. Jez has designed for events with A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Eva Langoria, Snoop Dogg, and DJs such as Benny Benassi, and Dash Berlin; his jewelry has even been worn on the red carpet at the Billboard Awards.

He has represented the United States at the IOEA Otaku Expo in Japan as a Cosplay Guest, and also helped choose the Canadian World Cosplay Summit representative for 2016. He believes that the world of costuming is an endlessly fascinating pursuit-from armor to gowns, giant puppetry to monsters. He shares unique events that educate and involve the community (such as Lip Sync For Your Cosplay and PROJECT: Cosplay!) and has restructured and organized cosplay events for conventions in his goal to make the competition scene more streamlined. His artistic journey came full circle in 2015 when he was hired as an Artistic Consultant for the One Piece: Gold film, working with Toei Animation to give their film a fully realized Las Vegas feel. In 2018 he was hired by Right Stuf Anime to create the Official Brand Costumes for animes Aria, Dirty Pair, and Emma.

In Winter 2019 he launched CosplayVegas/GamerVsTailor, the School of Cosplay in Las Vegas. It has grown to offer classes in all disciplines of costume arts as well as support the community through outreach, education, and pass along the universal message that Cosplay is for everyone!

Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest

In the Craftsmanship Contest, cosplayers are judged on their ability to skillfully recreate a design in a private, scheduled interview with a panel of experienced judges. Please review all of the rules below before registering for this competition.

Performance Contest

In the Performance Contest, cosplayers will take to the Main Stage and perform in front of a live audience. Performers are not judged on craftsmanship, only overall presentation. You may compete with bought or commissioned costumes.

Iron Cosplay

Iron Cosplay - Tekko

Hosted by our cosplay guest: Ely Renae!

Make costumes from actual garbage, play outrageous mini games, SABOTAGE your friends!

Join us for a fast-paced creative adventure, where you get to speed-build costumes, and maybe sabotage your friends a little bit along the way! The audience will be split into teams and must choose their Cosplay Champions to create the ultimate costume and win the competition! Champions will have to use scrap cosplay materials and their imagination to make a kick-ass costume before the time runs out. If you're not a creative type, never fear! Audience participation will be paramount in helping your team win this event. Compete in mini-games in order to sabotage other teams, or to help your team receive items that will help them build their costume! All sorts of entertainment, inventiveness, and mischief will be had! Don't miss out on this outrageous event!

To sign up for the Iron Cosplay event, use this document !

Cosplay Repair Station

You are now entering Hangar Bay 16 aka Cosplay Repair! We are a highly skilled group of Cosplayers and enthusiasts here to help you fix your minor costume and prop mishaps.

This FREE service is available for all with badges to the convention!

You will recognize our staff by their aprons and CRC badges. We will also have a Cosplay Medic wandering the convention to help with on the spot needs.

We have dressing rooms and stations for Wigs, Glues and adhesives, Sewing, general repair and paint. Our staff is knowledgeable in all areas. We are a safe space where you can change outfits, fix items (yes, even your pants for you non-cosplayers!) and prepare for judging.

Open to cosplayers:

  • Friday 9am-11pm

  • Saturday 9am-11pm

  • Sunday 10am-2pm

Magic of Cosplay Exhibit

Welcome to a unique experience, here at Tekko! Once again we welcome The Magic of Cosplay Exhibit! We believe in Cos-Positivity and look forward to another wonderful year. For 2023, we have secured a number of beautiful costumes, props, and wigs for your viewing pleasure. The exhibit will give you a chance to get up close and personal with the creations, but please, No Touching. Don’t worry, we do have some great items that you can touch and a project you can participate in. We have videos, costume construction books, and a Cos-Positivity question for all to answer. We hope the exhibit will inspire you to get creative! Our Exhibit staff will be present to answer any and all questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you at the convention. And yes, we are participating in the Ribbon Game!

Location and Hours:

Friday: 1pm- 8pm

Saturday: 10am-8pm, subject to change

Sunday: 10am-1pm

Cosplay Guest Suggestions

Would you or someone you know make an amazing cosplay-themed guest at Tekko? Let us know who you want to see and why!