In an era where the lines between high fashion, gaming, and digital culture are rapidly blurring, Stella Chuu stands at the intersection—scissors in one hand, heat gun in the other. A self-taught cosplayer, costume designer, and creative powerhouse, Chuu has built a career crafting wearable art that transforms pop culture into couture. From dressing streamers and rappers like bbno$ to building elaborate looks that nod to anime, techwear, and fantasy, she’s become one of the most influential voices in the cosplay-meets-fashion movement.
As stars like Jungkook and Megan Thee Stallion bring cosplay aesthetics into the mainstream spotlight, Chuu’s work is more relevant than ever. “Most people who cosplay are making their own costumes,” she explains. “It requires so much time and dedication, it’s absolutely a form of wearable art.” With her designs popping up everywhere from convention floors to celebrity shoots, and with high-end fashion houses like Balmain teaming up with gaming giants, Chuu’s world is no longer niche, it’s the future of fashion.
Vulkan: Would you describe cosplay as a form of ‘wearable art?’ How do you see it challenging or complementing the mainstream fashion industry, especially as more stars like Jungkook and Megan Thee Stallion embrace cosplay?
Stella Chuu: Absolutely! Most people who cosplay are making their own costumes which requires so much time and dedication into learning new skills from sewing to prop making. As anime and video games are becoming more popular, I’m seeing young fans join the workforce and influencing the fashion trends. Even the Met Gala had cosplay inspired fits the last few years.
Vulkan: You’ve dressed everyone from streamers to rappers like bbno$. How do you adapt your designs for clients who aren’t traditional ‘cosplayers’ but want fashion-forward, character-inspired looks?
Stella Chuu: I try to be as accurate to the source material as possible, since the goal isn’t to redesign the looks, but rather pay tribute to the original. People come to me because they want to transform into their favorite characters. However, I do always add in something that makes the costume unique to the wearer. Such as when I gave bbno$ very large fake breasts for Hatsune Miku, who is canonically not a busty character. Other examples, I’ll put a streamer’s logo somewhere on the costume or change text to their name.
Vulkan: With luxury brands like Balmain and others collaborating with video games and more digital media, do you see cosplay/gaming becoming a more permanent fixture in high fashion? How can the industry better embrace it?
Stella Chuu: There’s always the issue with the original IP allowing the license to collaborate with other companies. People think it is so easy for a company to just make an X or Y product, but it actually often takes months of collaborative planning between the teams to make just one release.
Vulkan: Are there any fashion trends you think cosplay helped push into the mainstream?
Stella Chuu: Cyberpunk and techwear clothing became very popular during the pandemic because of cosplay. People wanted to create their own dystopian future designs. I saw many companies pop up during these last 5 years that are solely inspired by this trend.
Vulkan: What would be your advice to other creatives trying to carve their own path in unconventional fashion spaces?
Stella Chuu: Use social media to your advantage. Fans really love watching creative processes and aesthetic visuals. You can create your own world and bring people into it.
Vulkan: As a designer, what are the biggest challenges of crafting unique one-of-a-kind outfits, and are there any that you’ve worked on in the past that have been your favorite or least favorite to create?
Stella Chuu: All of my designs are bespoke because I’m tailoring them to my clients or my own body. Each project presents a whole set of new problems to solve and I only get once chance to get it right. I almost never make the same costume twice. My favorite costume I’ve ever made was my KDA Ahri from League of Legends. I was able to create an easy way for anyone to make large crystal tails that were easy to transport in luggage. That project changed my life and put my work on the map. My least favorite thing to make is wigs. I’ve learned that my skills are not in wig making and it’s better if I just hire out.
Vulkan: As you often collaborate with other creatives and artists, is there one or more that would be your dream to work with?
Stella Chuu: Almost all of my content is collaborative. Whether I am making costumes for a client, cosplaying with friends, or just doing general content creation. I hardly ever post with just myself in a video. I love working with other people and having fun together. That being said, I would absolutely love to work with Megan Thee Stallion someday.
Photo by Martin Wong
