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Name: Jake Moore
Location: San Francisco, CA
Instagram: @jakemoorecosplay
Facebook: www.fb.com/jakemoorecosplay
Photographer(s):
www.facebook.com/photography.by.marie.sturges Instagram: @mariesturges
What was your first Cosplay experience?
My first cosplay experience was actually wearing my Green Power Ranger costume to work for a Halloween party. I had been working on that cosplay for a while without telling anyone and the work party was my first time wearing it in public. It felt super weird and I was nervous that I’d get made fun of, but they ended up thinking it was awesome and gave me a ton of compliments.
How long have you been Cosplaying?
I’ve been building and wearing cosplays since 2012.
Who or what inspired you to take up Cosplaying?
As a kid, I LOVED being a Power Ranger for Halloween. I was a Power Ranger every year between like 6 years old to 9. Fast forward to when I’m 21 and I stumbled upon a Power Ranger fan forum. It was on here that I discovered that it’s actually possible to get a good quality costume that even adults could wear. So I dove right in! Did all the research, bought all the parts, and realized my childhood dream of BEING a Power Ranger.
After putting together my first Ranger costume, I realized that if I wanted to play the part, I needed to get into better shape. I started lifting weights and eating better. I jumped up from 118lbs to 140lbs very quickly. I’m now at 150lbs and still growing.
Cosplay has not only been a creative outlet for me, but also a constant motivator to keep pushing myself physically. It keeps me healthy. I’ve even been training in stuff like Wushu, MMA, Parkour, and stunt acting, and it all stemmed from my love of cosplay.
If you had to pick a favorite Cosplay you have worn, or have seen someone else wear, what would it be?
As much as I love Power Rangers, I might love Spider-Man even more! My first SpiderMan cosplay was from the first Amazing Spider-Man movie with Andrew Garfield. I got the suit dye sublimation printed and then spent a couple hours every day for almost a whole year, carefully hand-painting the rubbery texture all over the entire suit. I put soooo much work into this costume and it launched me into learning so much about sewing my own patterns for other costumes.
If you had unlimited funds and resources, what Cosplay would you create?
As silly as it sounds, I’d have to say Batman. Now the actually cosplay itself would be kind of expensive. Maybe just under $2,000. The REAL expensive part would be bulking up to BatWeight. Gaining weight is EXPENSIVE!
What advice would you offer to those who are aspiring Cosplayers?
Make your own cosplays! Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll learn! It’s so important in life to always try new things, ESPECIALLY if you don’t know what you’re doing. Creativity is such an important part of your brain that you should be flexing as often as possible, and cosplay affords the possibility for unlimited avenues of exploration.
