EXPRESSION. Creativity. Style. Passion. These are the words that would best describe costume play or cosplay.
In cosplay, one dresses up as their favorite character in movies, books, or video games. It is an activity appreciated by both children and adults. It serves as a way of expression. Through this art, cosplayers convey their love for the characters they adore.
Dabawenya Jonavil Magbanua, a fourth-year Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Science student from the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), has found that one of her passion is the arts by expressing it through designing cosplay costumes.
Jonavil was exposed to the arts and crafts at an early age allowing her to grasp the nature of cosplaying.
She was first exposed to cosplaying during high school. Since she is part of the Special Program of the Arts (SPA) class in Davao City National High school (DCNHS), she is able to attend different cosplay events. She also joined a lot of workshops that honed her skills and creativity.
One of those events is the Mindanao Cosplay Summit. It is an event where cosplayers from Davao City and the rest of Mindanao are invited to help, guide, shed light on cosplaying, and inspire fellow cosplayers and those attending the event.
When Jonavil was only 19 years old, she started an online shop, Amarante Davao Cosplay, that creates and sells different cosplay costumes. She does not only attend to clients in Davao City only but also those from other places in the country.
She started her small business on a sunny afternoon, when her best friend, who happened to be her business partner, recommended Jonavil to create a costume for a mythology competition for their high school classmate.
“Na alanganin ko, di ko sure if kabalo pa ko kay dugay na kaayo ko wala nag buhat costume pero nihangyo man gyud so gitry nakog buhat luckily na tama man pud (I was hesitant during those times because it had been a while since I made a costume. But I was asked a favor; so, I decided to try making a costume. Luckily, I was able to make one),” Jonavil said.
After she made the project, her best friend asked her if she wanted to earn through her passion by starting an online business that creates cosplay costumes. It was there when Jonavil decided to start her business.
“Technically, our business is putting fictional items from movies, games, and anime into reality,” Jonavil said.
Months after they began to operate, their online shop started to gain the attention of cosplayers outside Davao City.
In the last three years, Jonavil and her best friend were able to make numerous costumes of different characters. Among the most popular is the costume of Lumine, a character from Genshin Impact.
Currently, they make the costumes at Jonavil's home, which is also their business address. However, they soon hope to have an actual concept store as they expand and cater to more clients.
“Wala nako gi plano na mag (I never planned to) make money out of my passion since for me artistry and crafting is what I love to do. I am content and happy to see people satisfied with my output. Unexpected kaayo siya for me, pero everytime naay mag inquire di gihapon mi katoo na naay magpa buhat. Fulfilling kaayo jud (This was very unexpected. Every time someone inquires, it still overwhelms us. It is very fulfilling)," Jonavil said.