Lotuss Cosplay is one of the most talented Egyptian Cosplayers to have broken out into the international scene for a year now since her participation in the World Cosplay Summit Saudi Exhibition Event 2022. That is where I met her during this gigantic convention organized by Vega Entertainment and supported by the World Cosplay Summit. Representative cosplayers from around 50 countries participated in it and Lotuss Cosplay represented Egypt and along with her teammate mesmerized others by their brilliant cosplays and breathtaking performance.
Leila Elnakash who dons the cosplayer name ‘Lotuss Cosplay’, hails from Cairo, Egypt the land of ancient mysteries, rich history, and of course Pyramids. Like the long-lasting history of The Nile, Lotuss in her stage name comes from the historically famous flower ‘Lotus’. The serenity of the flower can be found in her personality as well. Furthermore, she is an amazing cosplayer like all the others who participated in that event i.e. – Baka Sakura and AC Hernandez whom I have featured already.
It is quite surprising that Lotuss Cosplay is not affiliated with any cosplay organizations. According to her, cosplaying is something that causes her to have fun and that is more than enough. So, being overbearing and rigid about it doesn’t appeal to her at all. She also doesn’t belong to any pop-culture organizations. However, she does attend workshops on comic drawing at the Cairo Comics Event and wants to be more involved in this community. She is working on her original comic and incidentally, the MC’s name is also ‘Lotus’.
Inspiring Journey Of Lotuss Cosplay
Unsurprisingly, Lotuss Cosplay was a sucker for anime and cartoons in her childhood. The infatuation for fictional characters pushed her to attend related cons and then came the inevitable that is ‘Cosplay’. “Throughout my life, I’ve been watching anime and cartoons and subconsciously interacting with those catchers. I remember in my childhood I used to play with my brother as if we were those characters wrapping ourselves with anything that had the same colors as the character that we wanted to be.”, she reminisced.
“When my brother started to attend conventions with his friends, he didn’t take me with him but at the end of high school my cousin wanted to go too so we attended together. Then we decided that we had to make our own cosplays for the next event, since then I haven’t stopped cosplaying every year with a new character whose details caught my eyes as if it was asking me to make its custom, I really enjoy making the costume itself I think I got this talent from my grandma she was a fashion designer.”, she continued.
“Who is your cosplayer inspiration?”, I asked Lotuss Cosplay. “In the beginning, I looked up to Salma Ahmed as she was one of the most talented cosplayers at that time and now, I think I want to be like Kamui cosplay.”, Leila stated with conviction. “Then what about your favorite fictional character?”, I asked. “Adventure Time is my favorite cartoon and naturally my favorite characters are from it. I have cosplayed Finn the Human and currently working on Princess Bubblegum.”, she replied.
“Tell me about your cosplays so far!”, I hinted at her detailed experiences over the years. Lotuss Cosplay dived in her memories for the answer, “In 2017 I did my first cosplay and it was Maleficent. I think so far, I have done 12 cosplays and most of them were armors. In the beginning, was one time per year then started to increase, last year I cosplayed 6 new characters but this year was just one due to my mum’s health conditions but I think we still have time before this year ends.”
“Tell me about the cons you attended and awards you won!”, I enquired about the accolades at this point. Again, Lotuss Cosplay had to look through her memories, “In the beginning, I used to attend Egycon for like three years but my level wasn’t that good so I didn’t win anything. Then I started to attend the Japan Anime Festival where I took third place with King Arthur from Fate Grand Order. Then I attended Kingscon and won first place with Blood Moon Kalista. At Insomnia Egypt Gaming Fest took 7th place with Legiana Armor from Monster Hunter World.”
Cosplaying Essence Of Lotuss Cosplay
This section of the interview felt like a rapid-fire round for the first couple of questions and I guess Lotuss Cosplay was in a funky mood by then. “What cosplay means to you?”, I asked. “The thing that I love doing the most.”, she replied. “Tailoring and Crafting?”, I asked. “My idea of fun.”, she replied. After this short bubbly phase, Leila returned to her original demeanor and explained, “I love that most of my cosplays are made of foam because I don’t have a sewing machine.”
“What about makeup and wig-styling?”, I enquired. “I have never done wig-styling before as most of my cosplays wear helmets because I am wearing hijab but sometimes, I use some fur or fabrics to give me the look that I need. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t style wigs. It’s just I can’t wear it myself. And sure, I do makeup as it’s a part of the character.”, she answered. “Is it important to be in character?”, I asked the crucial question. “This is why we cosplay to be in these different personalities, so I think that being in character is most important.”, Leila remarked.
I asked for a few more incisive questions at this point and Lotuss Cosplay was very happy to answer all of them. “My first cosplay was so challenging, I didn’t think that I could really make one.”, she reminisced with nostalgia. “I don’t really remember any bad experiences but most of the time there were funny experiences.”, she continued, “I used to do full armors that you can’t tell the one wearing it is a male or female and the shock on the peoples’ faces, when I took off my helmet, was hilarious!”
Regional & International Experience
“What’s the difference you noticed between local and international events?” I probed. “Regional events are more like friends gathering as sometimes we don’t focus on the competition itself as it’s not the main thing in the event compared to taking photos and having some friendly moments with each other but we can’t say that about big events like Insomnia because it’s the biggest event in Egypt and they also welcome foreign cosplayers to participate.”, Lotuss Cosplay clarified.
“And the international events and the cosplayers participating there, what’s your take on them?”, I probed further. “The international events on the other hand give you a different experience as you represent your country and meet other cosplayers from all over the world who are considered the best in their countries. They make you feel like you have a big responsibility that you have to do your best and more. And that makes you keep in mind that there are more talented people you will meet so you have to be prepared.”, she stressed.
Feature Finale
“What is your end goal as a cosplayer?”, I probed on last time. “To be one of the most famous cosplayers around the world and be able to make a living doing so!”, Lotuss Cosplay declared with confidence. That is one ambitious cosplayer if you ask me. However, such a level of confidence and ambition is necessary to be able to achieve something in life. I have the utmost respect and support for her goals.
“Are your family and friends supportive of your cosplaying career?”, I asked. “They are very supportive. And, they are so proud of me, especially my parents and my aunts!”, Leila replied with delight. This is something amazing to get support from one’s family and friends in order to pursue goals and aims but many are not this fortunate. “What’s your advice for aspiring cosplayers?”, I asked. “If you keep following your dream one day it will come true, so work hard!”, she answered with some motivational words.
“What’s your opinion of Bangladeshi Cosplayers and cosplay scene?”, I asked for her impression. “You guys are so talented. I hope to see you in a high standing one day!”, Leila encouraged us with a praising nod. “Say something about Deshi Geek, will you?”, I urged. And Lotuss Cosplay thanked the platform with all her sincerity, “Thank you so much for this opportunity!”. And with that, I closed the curtain for this fascinating interview with one of the most talented cosplayers I have ever met!
