Curiosities of Cosplay: Hibica.cos

(Originally published Summer 2021)

A common theme throughout these Curiosities interviews has been that of support and teamwork. Whether that be technical help behind-the-scenes, online community support, or duo cosplayers creating their costumes together, almost no cosplay is created in a vacuum. For HIBICA.cos duo Sigli and Mana, that support started from their first cosplay together, and has only strengthened since. With all the modern materials, tools, and tutorials at a cosplayer’s disposal these days, it’s easy for that first step of tackling a project to intimidate you out of starting at all, but Sigli and Mana show that just the support of a fellow creator can help bring a cosplay from concept to fruition. In their extensive interview, Sigli and Mana generously offer a view into how their individual strengths allow them to push their skills to new limits and create some truly magnificent cosplays. 

Tell us a little about yourselves! How did you both get your start cosplaying?

Sigli: I think for me, like many others, it started with a love of dressing up. Every kind of carnival party was a highlight in our childhood, just like reenacting anime and cartoon series in the school yard with friends. Films like Interview with the Vampire or Lord of the Rings or PC games like Thief had brought my clique of friends to the point that we had started to put together costumes for small photo and film projects with the video camera or costume parties. That was really fun!

Mana: I think my interest in cosplay started when I watched a cosplay competition at our annual book fair. I was completely amazed by the love and creativity the people put into their outfit and performance and just thought, “Omg I want to try that too!” Since I was already a huge fan of anime and manga I had so many ideas of what I wanted to do. However I didn’t really know how to do it at the time and was way too shy to try it and in the end I was way too worried about people’s opinions about me and my interests.

I remember admiring Sigli and the others over the years and thinking, “That’s just so cool!” One of our mutual friends took it into her hand and asked me if we wanted to do a group cosplay together. And there was my chance. Until this day I am still very grateful for the opportunity to try it out and the help of my friends to make it really possible. Since then we started cosplaying together.

What made you commit to being a cosplay duo rather than having your own independent cosplay social media presences?

Both: It started back then with a larger group. There were three of us, and even four people from time to time. We all had our own cosplay wishes and lots of ideas, but somehow the group projects have received our greatest attention because we could do more together. At some point Sigli opened a page on Facebook. We wanted to show all of our photos and costume works.

Time is also one of the reasons why we’ve been trying to manage our social media together until now. Since cosplay is just a hobby for us up to now and we can’t offer much content in the year, it works out pretty well.

What are some of the benefits and even detriments of being a cosplay duo vs. independent cosplay? What is your team dynamic for realizing your costumes?

Sigli: I think that we complement each other really well. In the creative field, we often give each other tips. For example – what material can be best used [and] exchanging tutorial research and tricks. Especially when it comes to materials, there is now so much on the market that good advice can save a lot of time and effort. I mostly help Mana with the choice of fabrics, sewing parts, and pattern making. In turn, I can ask her a lot about social media and how to create texts and other stuff. She has become an incredibly important moral support for me, as she always has a good word to hand or gives advice and assistance in depressing, motivationless times. In addition, she often manages important organizational matters for the purpose of conventions, which sometimes saves a lot of time when you have to finish a project before the event. I just think without her I wouldn’t be where I am now. The projects wouldn’t be that much fun and [could] maybe get lost at some point now and then.

Mana: I’m currently blushing. However I agree with Sigli on this. Since she is our fabric and sewing master I can learn a lot from her. She is also the one who is braver in trying out new things. So she is likely to tell me on the next day already. “I tried that out, what do you think?” And then we can discuss the result and think about other ways, methods, materials, ideas, and so on. That’s really fun and I enjoy the exchange and support we give each other.

Both: We have not yet been able to determine any relevant disadvantages in our “craft community”. We are not forced to do everything together. Every one of us has the opportunity to experience or create their own projects as we wish and when we have the time. However, the distance from home is sometimes a bit of an obstacle. Visits have not been allowed for a long time because of the containment of the corona pandemic, [so] we can’t meet as often as we want or need for joint projects or other things.

What attracts you to creating certain costumes from FFXIV? Do either of you have preferences for the types of characters/costumes you want to cosplay?

Both: The main reason is probably that we play the game together and really enjoy it. You get to know the characters and you can better empathize with them. The designs from FFXIV are really unique. There is a lot that makes you want to cosplay it because it just looks very aesthetic and special. Even if you then realize again and again in frustration what you have gotten yourself into, since many designs are not meant to be in real life.. “(>_>)

Sigli: As usual, we also often look for characters that we like from the design as well as their nature. Mana, for example, prefers the cute girls with idol traits or those who look really innocent; it doesn’t matter whether they are turned towards the “bad” or “good” side, whether they have cute dresses or sexy outfits. I mostly like characters who are drawn to the evil or the dark in some way. I like the snooty or different way they act. It makes you look so special and stand out from the crowd. So we just couldn’t resist taking on Ryne and Gaia or Omega-M and Omega-F. That was a great fit for the two of us, not just in terms of appearance, but also in terms of character.

Mana: As you can see we complete each other again! xD” In most cases, however, one of us has an idea of which character we would like to cosplay and asks the other if that would be okay and makes suggestions about other characters which would go with the wanted character, regarding each of our personal preferences.

You recently remade parts of your Yotsuyu costume from the 2017 version you created for the FFXIV Cosplay Competition at Gamescom. Do you often return to finished costumes for improvement?

Sigli:  We always try to keep our costumes in good condition so that we can wear them more often. This means that there are always minor or major repairs. But to the extent that I’ve done it for my Yotsuyu cosplay hasn’t happened to any other costume yet. I love this costume and it means a lot to me. I like the character Yotsuyu very much and have cheered her story in the game like no other NPC so far. In addition, her kimono and her design in general look so beautiful!

I won an award for this costume at Gamescom 2017. At the time I could only work with the in-game screenshots. After the artwork of her character [was] released I saw so many more details I wanted to include in the costume. So I think it deserves this attention and I’m looking forward to wearing it again soon!

You utilize a wide variety of skills to create your cosplays, from sewing techniques to worbla to making your own molds. Can you talk a bit about how you learn new crafting skills, and if there are some skills you’ve picked up that have been consistently more useful than others?

Both: [We] are currently getting a lot of information [from] the internet. We’re also in a couple of cosplay groups on Facebook or Discord. There people like to exchange ideas about their progress, questions and problems, new techniques or materials. It’s always very interesting. So you will also get which might even be useful for a future project. You never know what you’re going to do. Research is the most important thing for us, it helps us to better understand the techniques in order to apply them more specifically and to produce less “waste.” Which doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, but there are far fewer test runs required if I already know roughly how it might work. For special things, such as comfort or material science, experience comes into play. With every new costume that you work out, you get more knowledge and often a better idea for the next project comes out.

There are skills in every project that you need more often than others. With armor, the main work is perhaps with the cutter and the dremel, and on a princess dress it is the handling of the sewing machine. Nevertheless, many different techniques are simply required for the overall result. We therefore tend to believe that there are skills that you need more often and others that you don’t use that often because they don’t fit to every project. It is simply necessary to learn some techniques in order to create a base. Further methods give the base the look you want it to be and make it special.

Sigli: For us, the time factor simply plays a big role in its usefulness. When we find a technique that can speed up processes, we will try it. For example, I have seen many artists use prefabricated molds, or [if they] build certain things that they need several times or want to duplicate, they make a mold [for] them with silicone or other materials, be it just small ornaments or entire swords. I’ve tried that and noticed that it saves a lot of work and time. Since then, I’ve been using it every now and then.

But for the details the look is always important for us, too. An embroidery or a 3D ornament made out of EVA Foam, for example, is more likely than textile paint or foil prints despite the [extra] time. I really like the embroidery on my dancer costume. It looks so much better and gives it a more glamorous look.

Given the wide range of materials you work with, what are some materials or crafting techniques you’d like to use but haven’t had the opportunity to yet?

Both: One material we want to deal with more at some point is silicone. This material comes in so many varieties and for different areas of application. Also we would like to work with these little smoke machines. This is a really great effect for some cosplays.

How do you decide which crafting technique to use to create each piece of a costume, particularly if you decide to learn a new method?

Both: Of course, it depends on what kind of costume you want to make. If it is more armor, then first and foremost we would think of EVA foam. If it is more of a piece of clothing, the sewing machine comes into play. When it becomes a project where there are things that you haven’t done before, like the wings on Innocence (we’d never built wings before) or the LED technology, when there are certain areas that have to light up, it is always a challenge for us. Surely we inform ourselves beforehand and try things out. But maybe someone has done something similar before and shows how to do it, or we know someone who has worked with the materials or techniques before. Research is [often] the most time-consuming part of our projects. But it helps us to create an overview of what materials are needed or could be used and how to assemble the costume.

Although it has to be said that we are by no means experts. Many times it is trial and error. There are also things that we do more than once because the first time it didn’t work out the way we imagined it would or we didn’t like how it looked. So you could say besides skill, perfectionism also sometimes gets in our way.

Costumes like Omega-F and Omega-M, Tsukiyomi and even Dancer have a lot of fitted and detailed body pieces. Do you typically use EVA foam for these pieces, and is it difficult to mold the foam in a way that is both durable and comfortable to wear for conventions and photoshoots, while staying true to the silhouette of the character’s in-game design?

Sigli: I would say it depends on what parts of the body it is and what this part looks like. I worked a lot with Worbla for the dancer because Worbla does not lose its shape; [because] it is not as flexible as foam, [it] was very suitable for jewelry like the tight-fitting bangles, the leg jewelry, and the chains, because you don’t need any unsightly clasps.

For Tsukuyomi’s headpiece I used EVA Foam. Due to its flexibility, it adapts well to the shape of the head. But the most important reason was because of its weight. The material is super light. It also holds on to the head with simple fastening options such as an elastic band. It was super comfortable to wear at the conventions.

In the case of the Omegas, the EVA Foam was again an option, since the clothes of the characters also covered moving areas such as the upper body and legs with hints of armor. We just gave it a try because we just didn’t see any other option at the time. EVA Foam can be deformed very easily and is dimensionally stable after cooling, but still remains flexible so that you can move it and squeeze it. If something bends too much and you see unsightly kinks, you can bring the material back into shape by carefully reheating it. That’s very convenient. (By the way, the hair dryer in the hotel room has now and then repaired our foam parts after unpacking them or/and after a day of convention.)

But I think there are more comfortable cosplays than our Omegas, especially for conventions. Sometimes we need to make little adjustments to the costume so that the movement restrictions are as minimal as possible (as said before, the designs sometimes are not meant to be for this world or normal human proportions). It really depends if it is a costume just for a photoshoot or one you’re gonna wear for a whole day at Fanfest or a convention. For example, I made the shoulder armor and the collar of Omega M detachable, which was not only good to put it on and take it off, but it is also more comfortable to move because the entire top is not attached to it.

Watching the video from when you showed your Innocence cosplay at Dreamhack, it looks like you had a good amount of mobility despite the costume’s exaggerated proportions and fragile details. Can you talk about what techniques you used to stabilize the wings, or any other particular pieces, on your Innocence cosplay? 

Sigli: I also find that in the video it looks like it’s easy to move in the Innocence costume. The armor parts are made out of the EVA Foam again. It is light and very comfortable to wear. But the wings are really wide and long, and also a little heavy. If the video had shown the previous staircase, you would know what I’m talking about. That was really a little ordeal to come up and down the stairs. I just didn’t expect that there would be a narrow staircase to the stage at the event.

None of us had ever built such wings or wings at all that are not made of cardboard and a few feathers. I was a little unsure of what to use as a base frame. I had these normal plastic pipes in my head from the hardware store, just like almost everyone uses. A friend had also talked about aluminum. After a lot of thought and research, I got help from my father; he has a workshop and works a lot with metal. And so it took its course. I made the sketches and bought the plastic and aluminum pipes. My father then welded the beginning of metal pipes and rods together for stability and later adjusted the aluminum pipes. That was really cool because it fits so well with the proportions and my foam parts that I had built. The cladding can simply be put on and off and everything can be screwed on and off together in small individual parts. And with a kind of backpack board that most people build for their big wings, they hold up quite well. But they are a bit heavy and you have the feeling when you wear them that they seem wider than they really are. The air resistance is really enormous, so I can’t or don’t want to move too fast. I don’t really need it either. I think Innocence is supposed to impress rather heavily.

Most of your cosplays incorporate a high amount of crafted detail and accessories, but Ryne and Gaia are mostly sewing, comparatively. How do you apply your eye for detail to costumes that are more clothcraft?

Sigli: For costumes that are mainly sewn, we focus on the choice of fabric. We think a lot about it and try to imagine what part of the costume could look like with which fabric and whether everything goes well together. Gaia’s coat, for example, had to be made out of a cotton velvet fabric. Together with the belt buckles, it is the item of clothing that immediately catches the eye. So it had to be something special. A velvet fabric simply looks much more aesthetic than normal cotton or any quilted lining. The shimmering light-dark effect of the fabric gives the coat more depth and does not make it look so flat and boring. It also gives a nice contrast to the top and skirt, as the velvet looks blacker than the rest.

Mana: We also like to use different ribbons, lace, pearl and glitter effects, stitching and embroidery, textile colors and other things. There are a few options nowadays. Ryne’s dress has this ornate neckline. Since we couldn’t find a fitting lace, we interpreted it a little more freely and put together something from various bobbin lace, ribbon and lace remnants. We really liked the outcome.

I think it’s a kind of gut [instinct] story for us, when we use which materials and which technique. We also often talk about our ideas and are not afraid to separate things again and try something different if we don’t like it.

Are there any particular future FFXIV cosplays you have lined up, or would like to do?

Mana: We have many ideas that we would like to pursue. Of course we have a few more plans. There are so many great things, old and new, NPCs, monsters, and armor sets. Since FFXIV costumes degenerate into mammoth projects every time, we have to see how we can manage all of this in time. Each new big update is a major temptation for us. We are already excited about what the new add-on Endwalker will bring, but so far we already have two things planned: The Savage form of Gaia and a sexy companion for the upcoming Innocence photoshoot. So be curious!

(Editor’s Note: Mana and Sigli have completed and photographed their Oracle of Darkness Gaia cosplay since this interview premiered, so check out their socials for those gorgeous photos!)

Tell us a bit about your character in-game! What characters do you play, and what are some of your favorite adventures to embark on in Eorzea?

Sigli: Mana plays a sweet, white-haired Keeper of the Moon bard and I play a dark-skinned Xaela with a two-handed sword or a gun. Unfortunately we are not on the road together at the moment. Mana has taken a little break but wants to join again when the new add-on comes.  Then hopefully we can travel the world together again.

Adventures besides the main story that we loved to do together were treasure maps, mounts, and glamour farms. But chilling just a little at the house of the guild, putting together new outfits and chatting besides was super nice. Sigli’s favorite occupation at the time was also the G-pose function. She has an infinite number of screenshots on her computer, even some of us as an idol group on the stage in Mih Khetto’s Amphitheatre in Gridania. That was super funny. 

Mana: Furthermore we are big fans of Hildibrand and his friends and are really looking forward to more content from the “Inspector Extraordinaire”!

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