Cosplay Repairs are an inevitable part of cosplay, and there’s nothing wrong with seeking help when it comes to on-the-day repairs- that’s what our repair table at events is for after all! But what are some tricks to help avoid the dreaded misfortune of a cosplay breakdown at the convention?
I spoke with our lead repair duo from Megacon Manchester 2023 about the most common mishaps they saw over the weekend and some preventive tips and tricks to help you get ahead of some of the most common pitfalls.
Preparation is key
It’s common advice, but in this case extremely helpful. What single phrase did our repair team hear most all weekend? “This was really last minute.” If that’s also not the most relatable statement to those of us familiar with con crunch I don’t know what else is! I once built three cosplays in two weeks and was sewing the morning of the convention, so I’m an old friend of ‘last minute’. (Maybe I’ll write a post about creating last-minute cosplays in the future!)
The easiest way to help prevent on-the-day emergencies comes down to preparation. The longer you spend on something the more time you have to both improve the build and catch any potential errors. The same goes for purchased costumes! The earlier you can get the costume the more time you have to address potential problems before the event.
A benefit of early preparation is ample time for test runs, which brings us to our next piece of advice.
Putting it to the test, the significance of trial runs
Just like how breaking in shoes is recommended (especially at conventions! It’s a lot of walking and the comfier your feet are the happier you will be,) testing out your props or difficult cosplay elements is a great way to find potential issues before you hit the con floor.
Once the whole costume is complete you’ll want to try everything on, from the shoes to the accessories, wig included. Move around in it, and spend some time in the costume. Move around, try sitting, standing and posing in cosplay. Make note of anything causing you discomfort and try to find a way to mitigate that before the convention.
The longer you can wear the costume for your test run the better. If you’re able to give it a trial run for at least half of the time you plan to spend in costume at the convention is a good rule of thumb. You can use this extended test time to create some TikToks, take some photos, or even plan a pre-convention shoot in the cosplay with a photographer.
Check out this post about organising shoots outside of conventions.
If you’ll be transporting the costume to the event, give some forethought to how you’ll store it during transport. Do a trial packing run and make sure it’s safe and secure in its transport container.
Crafting success with the right adhesive choice
We touched on the most common phrase, and now let’s move on to one of the most common issues. Adhesion. Luckily this is an easy issue to fix at the repair table, as a little dab of hot or super glue usually does the trick, but how can we prevent it in the first place?
There are many glue options on the market, and if your budget allows it, splurging on the right glue for what you are attaching can help avoid a last-minute hot glue fix. We’re not going to be able to go through all the types of glue in this post, but let’s look at the factors you should consider when selecting an adhesive.
- What surface(s) are you fixing to each other?
- How long is the cure time?
- If you’re not con crunching this likely isn’t as important, but for my fellow con-crunchers, this can be an important factor!
- Does it need to be flexible?
- If you’re glueing a piece onto a glove or shoe, you’re going to want an adhesive that is flexible!
Remember that some adhesives require specific safety precautions to be taken. Wear a respirator if required, avoid skin contact and follow all the directions provided with the adhesive.
Shoes don’t fail me now!
Another common con-day issue is shoes. I’m by no means a cobbler so I’m not sure what the root cause of this shoe problem is, but a surprising number of repairs are for the sole of the shoe coming off.
If your shoe has seen better days even before bringing it to the con floor, then consider taking it to a cobbler to get it patched up, maybe replace the sole of the shoe to help it not only last the convention but give it some extended life.
Comfort is also a big factor in your shoe plans. Consider replacing the insoles, and packing some bandaids or moleskin to protect from blisters.
Takeaways
Ultimately you can follow every last piece of advice on this list and then some, and you still won’t be immune to those on the day cos-tastrophes. Many conventions have repair tables now that you can go to for some on-the-day assistance. At events the Guild works with we always have a repair table stocked with supplies ready to get you back on the con floor, and staffed with cosplay repair experts who are there to give you a hand.
Our repair tables are free of charge and run on donations. You can donate on the day to show your appreciation, or if you want to help support us before the convention consider purchasing something off of our wish list!
