Cosplay for a Cause gathered over 15+ talented cosplayers from various parts of the world and created a calendar that when sold, 100% of all profits will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross to help out with the tragedy over in Japan. What makes the calendar so great is that the photos taken are exclusively for the calendar and each month will also come with a small illustration done by 1 of 4 pro comic book artists involved in the project. I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the many cosplayers involved, Catherine L. Jones of God Save the Queen Fashions. Born in FL but living in Georgia, this southern cosplayer got involved in cosplaying when she attended her first Anime convention. Even before that her boyfriend had been checking out the website and saw that a special guest cosplayer, Limebarb, was making a living off of making costumes. At Anime Weekend Atlanta, back in 2007, she was just blown away by the fact that people were dressed up as their favorite anime characters. She took that as opportunity to take her 2 favorite things, sewing and anime, and combine them into her new passion.
What made you decide to cosplay as opposed to donating money to the various organizations out there?
I am very grateful for this opportunity as it has allowed me to contribute in a truly meaningful way, using skills and resources that I already have.
Have you ever visited Japan and if so how was it and was there anything in particular that stood out about it for you?
How did you decide your cosplay for the calendar?
Who were the people that encouraged you to cosplay?
My mom has been an amazing source of encouragement. I never expressed an interest in sewing as a career until I was about half-way through college. I knew she would always support me whatever career path I chose, but once she started seeing the crazy stuff I was making, I could tell that going down this path really made her extra happy for me.
As a cosplayer yourself you have done a lot of traveling. How has visiting all these different places and meeting all these different people affected your view on the world?
I haven’t actually done a lot of intense traveling for cosplay. With my work schedule, I do what I can to stay somewhat close to my home base, so I stick to conventions that are within a reasonable driving distance. However, one thing I have learned through those small travels is that conventions are some of the few places where complete strangers can have fantastic conversations simply because they both like the same video game. I can talk to people for hours on end, that I’ve never met before, just because we both have an interest in sewing. People want to learn and communicate with each other, and bringing so many of them with so many common interests is a great way to open that door.
Will you be promoting Cosplay for a Cause at future conventions?
Any final thoughts or words for fans or people who will read this?
Please take some time to check out the Cosplay for a Cause website (http://www.cosplayforacause.com) and get yourself, and maybe a friend or two, a calendar. If you want to see some teaser images to get an idea of what to expect, you can also check out our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CosplayforACause). They’re only $17.99 each and 100% of the proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross. You can have a whole year of cosplay hotties to look forward to and you’ll be doing a good deed at the same time!
If you’re still jonesing for a cosplay fix after that, you can see more of my work at http://www.gstqfashions.com.
Catherine Jones GSTQ Fashions
This is wonderful, I would have loved to be part of the calender, if one is ever done again, let me know. I would love to help!