Cosplaying brings out so much creativity in people. While sometimes, people do their best to faithfully recreate a character’s look, sometimes, they decide to give it their own spin. Take Destiny Mendoza, for example. In early July, she dressed up as a folklorico version of Sailor Moon.
In a recent post on Cosplay in America, she explained her inspiration behind the look. “I remember seeing so many people making their own interpretations of all their favorite characters, and I was just in awe of all the creativity,” she said. “I just decided if everyone can do that, why can’t I make two different things I love, my culture and Sailor Moon, into one? It just felt like the perfect idea, especially in this political climate, to introduce people who are not familiar with Mexican culture to see how beautiful it is.”
Mendoza, who looked at many different folklorico dresses for reference, ended up not creating a traditional dress. Still, she had to use more than 12 yards of fabric to achieve the look. “The hardest part was figuring out how to implement Usagi’s accessories, like what can stay the same or what needed to be redesigned in folklorico style,” she added.
On Twitter, she regularly shares images of herself cosplaying as other characters, including Bulma from Dragon Ball Z.