Chrix Design

Cosplayer from Norway

Please introduce yourself – what is your cosplay name, where are you from, how long have you been cosplaying?

My name is Chrix Design. I’m currently living in Oslo, Norway, and I have been cosplaying for twelve years (since 2011).

 

How did your cosplay journey begin? What was your first costume?

I really wanted a “Portal” gun and back in 2011 you couldn’t just buy one. So, I figured I could try to make one. Then I stumbled upon a Cosplay forum online where people were saying really nice things about Cosplay conventions. I figured, who not? Bought an orange jumpsuit and drew the “Aperture” science logo on a tank top with markers. And this is how “Chell” from “Portal 2” became my first Cosplay. 

 

How many Cosplay competitions/conventions have you been to?

Oh, this is a hard question! I am guessing about 40 competitions and attended 70 conventions, give or take. 

 

Which cosplay costume took the longest to make? Why?

I think the Big Sister from “Bioshock 2” took the longest to make, as I was fairly new to making costumes and learning by doing… and failing. 

 

Which cosplay costume have you worn the most? Why?

That have to be Elsa from “Frozen”, I love group cosplay together with my sister and we really love the “Frozen” movies. 

 

What part of this hobby/lifestyle do you like the most? Why?

I really love the creativity this hobby provides the most, the way I get to learn new techniques, try new materials and see the result of my hard work come to life.

 

Do you have any funny stories or accidents related to cosplay?

I was cosplaying as Princess “Snow White” and having a small photoshoot in a forest. Suddenly a group of men in the 60’s came jogging by, where one of them sees me and proclaims “here comes the princes!”. I really love it when bystanders interact with you as the character you are portraying. 

What inspires you to create?

Mostly the chance to learn something new and see that come to life. I need to experience variety, even if I mess up, I love the fact that I tried and that I learned something.

 

Why cosplay is important to you?

It is a lovely way to escape to another world, to immerse yourself in the lore of your character and to be creative. Through this common love for everything nerdy, I have found so many new friends who never get bored of talking about video games, fabric, or the prices of “Worbla”. Most of my world revolves around Cosplay in some way, just because of how versatile it is.  

 

What are the three main things that Cosplay has taught you?

Self confidence – especially when going on a stage. Individuality – I am nerdy in my way, because I want to. “To just roll with it” – things does not always goes according to plan, be it the making of the cosplay, the stage show, that presentation at work, spilling milk… doesn’t matter. Now I mostly just roll with it and don’t stress.

 

If you had to choose one character to Cosplay for the rest of your life, who would it be?

It needs to be someone with a lot of personality and a lot of sass. I am currently obsessing over “Ashe” from “Overwatch”, so that might be my choice. Also, the outfit is comfortable (-ish) and I can team up with my sister. 

 

What would you consider to be the biggest achievement in your Cosplay career?

There are many things I am proud of regarding my cosplay career, but the fact that the technical museum in Oslo is having one of my costumes (Diablo Demon Hunter) as part of their current exhibition is really cool. 

 

If you could go back in time to the beginning of your Cosplay career, what advice would you give to yourself?

Learn to properly sew right away. It took many years before I liked the sewing part of Cosplay because I simply didn’t know how to do it right. But with a few “Youtube” videos and following a proper pattern – miracles can happen. And now, I use my sewing machine so often that it has become a permanent part of my living room decor. 

 

What advice would you give to the people who want to start Cosplaying, but are afraid or just don’t know where to start?

It really helps to choose a character you love, because you are investing time and money making this. You are in luck, there are so many amazing tutorials and books on the subject. But maybe most importantly, as your fellow cosplayers – we all LOVE talking about cosplay and would gladly share any tips and pointers that we have. 

 

Last but not least, are you looking forward to Comic Con Baltics 2023? 

Enormously! I have never visited Vilnius and can’t wait to meet the people at Comic Con Baltics 2023.

 

Additional thoughts:

My niche is using “trash” as my main building material: old pizza boxes, soda cans and leftover fabrics, because cosplay is an expensive hobby and I have a passion for testing the limits of how to build something unconventionally, on a set budget or using only leftovers from other projects. And hopefully I can show new cosplayers some tricks on how a more economical way of building costumes.