Today we’d like to introduce you to Marielle Partido.
Marielle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My time with cosplay and modeling started off when I was young. I didn’t cosplay when I was little, but I did briefly try modeling school when I was in elementary school, and I remember my mom pulling me out after maybe two or three months. The number one reason was finances, and number two was because my mom wanted me to have the choice to choose, not just because her, my dad, agents, or any other adults thought I could make it. She wanted to reserve my chance to choose for when I was older, and I never thought about how important that was until I started to do this on my own which brings me to my next point: cosplay.
I was introduced to the scene in 2006 when my friend showed me skits performed at anime conventions during the masquerade portions. These people were dressed as the characters, sometimes crossing characters from different series into the same skit, and they were so cool! As a young and budding nerd, the idea of dressing up as these characters from popular media peaked my curiosity. The costumes, the craft, the commitment to the character when on stage, I wanted to find out more. Diving in, I found that there was a whole hobby about it, a whole scene where people of all ages, all sizes, all races can dress up as any character they liked.
I fell in love with it immediately and planned to make my first cosplay ready in time for Halloween next year. The first ever cosplay I made was Rukia Kuchiki from the series Bleach by Tite Kubo. I asked for my grandma’s help for the most difficult part, which was the skirt, but for everything else, I searched the internet, and several stores to try and find pieces of her school uniform that matched her design. This is the time I learned how to sew by hand because her neck bow and soul glove were things I definitely wouldn’t find lying around in the local mall. By the time I was done, and I styled my hair to look like hers, I felt a million times cooler.
I wasn’t just Mari anymore, I was this strong female character I looked up to. I was Rukia, and it felt amazing. And it was even cooler when I wore it to school on Halloween, and my friends all freaked and said how cool it was that I dressed up as her. That rush of energy when you look in the mirror, see yourself as one of your favorite characters, reflect on what you created, and how much it was all worth the work and energy put into it, that’s what I’ve been running on ever since that year. But it wasn’t until last year when I was in a slump that I decided to try cosplaying on a part-time level. If there was an event happening that month, I wanted to be there to network, find like minds who liked cons and cosplaying as much as I did.
My two cosplays I made that year, Maid D.Va, and Wendy’s girl (yes the one from the fast food chain), got me to finally reach 1000 followers. It’s not much, but that validation that people liked what I created was enough for me to think I can really do this once I’m able to put energy into it again. Cosplay integrated itself into my life. It has given me a loving community, fantastic friends to be with, along with an opportunity to show my artistic side and have a grand old time. I found myself growing more comfortable going out to cons, even getting asked for pictures when I was out.
Growing comfortable with the camera, I even found myself getting back into modeling, and this time on my own terms. I started reaching out to photographers I knew from the convention scene and shot styled outfits and concepts I either made myself or were a collaborated effort between me and the photographer I was shooting with. I’ve had the privilege to even walk for a couple of fashion shows at a couple of conventions because of it, which I thought was amazing. This whole journey led me to various opportunities and opened a lot of doors for me in the future to venture into when the time is ready. And I honestly can’t wait to see what comes next.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh goodness no. Even though it’s a wonderful community, there are still things about it that can be concerning.
Cosplayers getting harassed, people scamming others out of what they paid for in terms of commissioned cosplays or cosplay parts, people being generally rude to cosplayers because they don’t look exactly like the character, that their cosplay isn’t good enough, or even if it’s too scandalous. It’s all very much alive and well. I’ve seen it, and have run into instances of this myself. It may be toxic, and there are people out there who don’t represent cosplay if the best light (not because of their cosplay, but their general negative and/or toxic personality traits), but I want to stay in the community and show that this community is still fun to be with if you’re with the right crowd. Be kind to others, and that kind of energy will come back to you.
This is the absolutely, the most overused cliché, but one huge roadblock I find myself running into many times is myself. As an artist may say, their biggest critique is themselves, and I am no exception. Being in the scene for a little over ten years, I’ve had to keep my head up and ignore the social media fame that other followers may gain, almost overnight sometimes, faster than I do. I love that these other creative people are getting recognition, don’t get me wrong, my mind sometimes will just be hard on myself and ask why I haven’t reached that same traction yet. And I already know why. On top of cosplay and modeling, right now I’m also a student and work a part-time job.
Paying for my own school makes money tight to do anything else at the moment. Money is a huge factor for me since I aim to make my own cosplays to showcase my work. I want to create beautiful recreations of characters I care about, maybe redesign characters at times, and that’s definitely difficult if I’m in school, doing homework, and at work. I’ve struggled with episodes of anxiety and depression, so I found myself treading lightly whenever I had to stack my day with tasks and assignments I had to do. At its worst, I found myself in bed for days, sometimes weeks, unable to get my head out of the slump and feeling frustrated, angry, and bitter as to why I was feeling this way.
I’m in a better head space as of recently, which has helped a lot, but I still cannot risk to overload and juggle being a student/cashier/cosplayer/designer/model. I know there will be time for it down the road, so I just have to wait it out, grind through the last of my classes, and get ready for the next step in my life.
Please tell us about v5prinks.
I’m mainly known for my cosplay and modeling work. I make and style my own cosplays, concepts, and outfits for my photoshoots and content. I don’t really see myself as anything super special, I just want to showcase my talent and creativity on a platform, and be able to inspire someone else to do so, because cosplay is non-exclusive. It’s for everyone, and everyone starts somewhere. I want to be a positive influence and make people smile with what I do, and whether that be from cosplay or modeling, I want to be able to do that. If I can even help someone with their own journey by giving advice, that would make my day too. It always does when someone asks me a question in my DM or emails.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There’s a lot I regret in terms of my life outside of what I’ve created with my social media presence. I wish I learned to network sooner, to learn that my mental health is just as important as any other aspect of life. I wish I learned to love myself sooner, to put myself first before anyone else who comes into, or is a part of my life. With these things in mind, I feel like things would have been better for me in terms of what I’m trying to with my social media platform.
But if things ended up going smoothly, and how I originally planned, I wouldn’t be where I am now, with the life that I have. Yes, I wish I could have learned the lessons that I needed to be a healthier, happier person, but at the same time, I’m glad it happened. It made me realize just how much my life has to offer, and it shows me I can start from a dark place, and find my way out from there. Someone recently told me that we’re not a direct product from where we started. There can always be an improvement, and that’s essentially what life is all about. That’s all we really can do, and what I will continue to do.
Contact Info:
- Email: vsprinksdesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v5prinks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/v5prinks/
Image Credit:
Photography: @bakephotogatari, @sojubeats, @tonytakedown, @remcreate, @hdyphoto, @cosmatcha, @therichardperry, @epictoastphotos
Cosplayer: @princess_ashleia
Yuffie costume credit: @chocoborae
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
