Interview with the talented cosplayer Linn Eriksson

Photographer: Jacob Vicencio

COSPLAYER LINN ERIKSSON

Linn Eriksson is a talented cosplayer who, for example, has won several awards in the Cosplay-SM. In 2015, she took home first prize! We are happy that we had the opportunity to talk more with Linn about what cosplay means to her and that we can now share it with you.

Psst! Do not miss the fantastic cosplay pictures of Linn at the bottom of the post!
Do you want to continue following Linn? Check out her Instagram!

What does cosplay mean to you?

I did my first cosplay in 2009 and since then the hobby has been my big interest in life. It has given me a lot of joy over the years and made me who I am today. Sitting down and working on a suit is my best way to unwind and recover after a stressful week.

How much time do you spend creating a costume and how much do you create yourself?

When I started, buying costumes was not as easy as today and creating your own costume was therefore a matter of course. I discovered that I thought the craft itself was the most fun part and I started competing a few years after my first suit. In competitions, you need to have done more or less everything yourself from scratch. Even though I do not compete in the same way today, all my years as a competition participant have governed how I am used to making costumes. High quality handmade costumes take time and cosplay can be an incredibly time consuming craft. Some projects are large and take several years and some can be done in a few months. On average, it takes me 6-9 months to complete a project if I work with it focused on my limited free time.

What's the most fun about creating?

One of the most fun is planning a new project and looking for materials. I love fabric and hunting for the perfect fabrics and finding interesting combinations of textures to create your own version of the suit is a sport in itself. Sometimes it takes time, but it is very satisfying when you manage to make a good find or discovery. I like to start in reverse order unlike many and do not decide to start a project until I have found material that fits.

What is the biggest challenge with the creation?

Because it often takes so long before a suit is finished, the biggest challenge is to actually get it done. No matter how fun the creation itself is, there are always periods when motivation is low and things do not go as planned. It is not easy to stay focused on the goal even if you have a deadline such as a competition or a photoshoot that you need to get ready for. It often feels more tempting to start a new project when you are stuck. If I do not have a deadline, I like to have a couple of projects to work on in parallel so that I can get a break from one sometimes and work on something else. Over the years, I have also become better at choosing projects that I know I will find fun and avoid costumes that for the most part involve crafts that I do not think are as fun.

What's the weirdest thing you've used to create a costume?

The best thing about cosplay is that there are really no rules. You can use just about anything to create something that often does not exist in reality. All materials have their strengths and weaknesses. As a cosplay judge, it is among the most amazing to see what unexpected solutions people come up with. The strangest thing I used myself was a shower hose to make a sword, but it had exactly the right look so it turned out very well.

Which cosplay you created are you most proud of?

My biggest and most challenging project was to recreate Margaery’s hand embroidered wedding dress from season 4 of Game of Thrones. Recreating a costume that is also really present can be very unforgiving with minimal room for personal interpretation. I see it as a separate category of cosplay in itself and since it is fun and rewarding when you manage to get things exactly like the original, it can easily drive you crazy when you try to replicate every single stitch. I need to alternate this type of project with other costumes where I have more creative freedom.