Gladzy Kei

Gladzy has been practicing the art of cosplay for about ten years. She is also an illustrator who actively redesigns fantasy-themed costumes through her own concept artworks. Designing for Cosplay has Gladzy learn a wide range of skills such as sewing, armor and prop making, molding and casting, make up, and wig styling.

Gladzy’s Incubator project involved building a new cosplay design inspired by a Southeast Asian animated Princess. Gladzy redesigned the costume, inspired by her Filipino culture and pulled inspiration from the colors of the Filipino flag (red, blue and gold). She also built a “salakot” which is generally used by farmers to protect their heads from the heat and the sun. “Baybayin”writing is included in the armour design and pays homage to a recently rediscovered form of Philippines’ script, previously lost for centuries. Gladzy learned techniques from Filipino martial arts known as Kali or Eskrima, which she used in the final photo and video shoots in the Studio Theatre.

Learn more about Gladzy and Cosplay by watching her artist documentary (listed below) or reading our interview with her (follow the link below).