Cosplayers Around the World Feature : Lada Bordewick from Russia

May 17, 2011November 4, 2011Tsukuyo NinCosplay

This edition of Cosplayers Around the World feature brings us up close and personal with this hot Russian-born cosplayer babe. Lada is currently in the top 10 of her group in the Otaku House Cosplay Idol 2011 North American category qualifying round.

Lada Bordewick, or Etaru (etaru.com) in the cosplay community, is a Russian-born cosplayer residing in the northwest United States, known for her extravagant costumes like Alexiel from “Angel Sanctuary” and Rosa Farrell from “Final Fantasy IV”. She has a soft spot for hot springs, reading, sushi, motorcycles, and collegiate debate. A recent graduate in International Relations, she is also planning on finishing her Political Science degree in Sweden in fall of 2011-2012.

Biography

Full Name : Lada Bordewick
Age : 22
Gender : Female
Country / state you are born in : Tver, Russia
Citizenship : American
Date of Birth : November 28
Zodiac Sign : Sagittarius
Height : 5’8″ or 172cm
Spiderman or Batman? : Batman! He doesn’t need any superpowers to kick butt! No matter how tough the previous night of crime fighting is, no matter how many broken ribs or bruises he receives, every morning he gets out of bed and does push-ups without complaint.

More about Lada Bordewick

1. At what age did you start cosplaying and how long have you been cosplaying?

I started around the end of high school and more actively through college. I’ve been at it for about 6 years now, I hope I don’t have to stop anytime soon!

2. What inspired you to start cosplaying?

I saw pictures online of people wearing elaborate costumes, and with further research found they do this at conventions for Japanimation. I was intrigued! As soon as I had an opportunity to visit a convention for a day, I threw together Mireille Bouquet from Noir from my closet to “fit in,” thinking everyone at conventions cosplayed. While I was a little bit wrong about that, I fell in love with creating my own costumes and started trying more challenging projects.

3. Which is your most difficult cosplay / most memorable cosplay and why?

Very probably my Alexiel costume from Angel Sanctuary. The wings and harness design took me months because I was inexperienced, but persisted nonetheless to make them work! The clincher was my first time sewing with boning, first time patterning my own gloves and dress, and designing her three large angel wings. Over my Christmas break, I hand trimmed over 800 feathers and proceeded to glue each one individually to the wing frame. Needless to say, bending PVC pipe in your garage with a heat gun when it’s 0 degrees outside wasn’t the most enjoyable aspect of making it! However, due to the help of my father and friends in finishing construction of the harness with a wood back plate in the back of the clincher, I feel it’s my most rewarding and challenging outfit. I learned so much even though I had so many setbacks and tears, and simply could not stop smiling while wearing Alexiel!

4. What is your next cosplay project?

For my next large project, I hope to complete Siren from Final Fantasy VIII this year.

5. Tell us about some memorable experiences in your costume making.

Although responses from fellow cosplayers and con-goers are always appreciated and make the effort of costume crafting worth the work, the responses of children at conventions are always what linger with me. Having little girls come up to me in my large Princess Emeraude or Sailor Neptune fuku and say, “Mommy, it’s really her!!” just makes my day!

6. What are some advice you would like to give to cosplay newbies?

I really don’t believe in the phrase “go big or go home”, because everyone starts somewhere. If you’re new to costuming or sewing, start easy and work your way up to larger projects, otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed and discouraged. New cosplayers need to learn to take criticisms with a grain of salt and know that there will always be someone – for whatever reason – who dislikes their work. Have confidence in your creations – you have just literally brought a character to life from a pile of fabric – be proud of what you make, no matter the difficulty of it!