While Kia does not do what she does for recognition, she is happy that brands are starting to recognize her work. In this episode of Stitch Please, she talks to Lisa Woolfork about getting into cosplay, meeting her husband at a cosplay event, and having a cosplay-themed wedding. She also gives insights into cos-fashion and her newest collaboration with Zelouf fabrics.
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Kia Sangria
Kia Sangria is passionate about cosplay, costume creation, being a sewist, and creating costumes for black people in play.
Lisa Woolfork
Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English, specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory and American slavery. She is the convener and founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. #Charlottesville. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
Insights from this episode:
Quotes from the show:
Resources Mentioned
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Lisa Woolfork
Instagram: Lisa Woolfork
Twitter: Lisa Woolfork
Kia Sangria
Facebook: Kia La Sangria
Pinterest: Pinterest
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.
Lisa Woolfork 0:07
Hello stitchers. Welcome to Stitch Please, the official podcast of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. I'm your host, Lisa Woolfork. I'm a fourth-generation sewing enthusiast with more than 20 years of sewing experience. I am looking forward to today's conversation. So sit back, relax and get ready to get your stitch together.
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Stitch Please podcast. I am your host, Lisa Woolfork. And, like I say every week, this is a very special episode, because this episode is the last episode for our Black-tober of twenty twenty-two. I call it Black-tober because I like to center and concentrate on Black costumers, Black designers, but mostly folks working in cosplay and costuming. And so we've had a really wonderful month so far. If you have not had a chance to go back and listen to those episodes, I invite you to do so. And if you are listening to this and you are not part of our Black Women Stitch Patreon community, why not? You are welcome to join because you get to see what I am seeing. And I am currently seeing the Kia Sangria. And when I tell you Kia is a fantastic costume creator, cosplay sewist, and someone who was really committed to the work of creative visioning for Black folks in play. And I think that play—the play that is involved in cosplay—is just one of the many ways that we extend into the fullness of our lives. I do not think of cosplay as something that is a trifle, nor do I think of costuming as a trifle. These are the things that light our hearts on fire. These are the things that make us smile and bring us joy. And the fact that we get to talk with Kia today, who is an absolute delight. Well, you might remember her from the Black Fae Day episode, and she was an ambassador for that important project. And now she's back on her own because I just had to hear about what she was cooking up for this Halloween season. It feels like this time of year, the October time is like the Super Bowl or the championship for cosplayers, right? Like, this is where y'all put it all on the line. So welcome, Kia Sangria! Welcome, welcome, welcome, and thank you for being with us today!
Kia Sangria 2:22
Thank you so much for having me, Lisa. Always absolutely a pleasure to talk to you. I had so much fun with our conversation for Fae Day. I have so much to share with you from like...
Lisa Woolfork 2:57
I am ready to hear it. I am absolutely ready to hear it. Now, those of you all who might not know, you have got to tell us. I know this is an old story for you, but it is one of my favorite stories. You have got to tell us how you got engaged at a con. I really feel like for people to understand your commitment to cosplay, they have to understand this particular feature, because what I'm looking at in her studio, everybody, is her dress form and her husband's dress forms. So these are things that are like just a feature of her sewing life. You have got to tell this story. I do love it so much.
Kia Sangria 3:40
Okay, so just for full transparency. I actually met my husband in cosplay back in 2012. I didn't even know what he looked like because he was wearing a Deadpool mask. But—
Lisa Woolfork 3:51
Oh my gosh!
Kia Sangria 3:52
He had just this infectious energy that was just so polarizing. He had such a very polarizing personality. And I tell him every day, I'm like, you have an energy that is so warm and impossible to ignore. And you're so funny, like, were you asking, "Oh, why him?" I'm like, he makes me laugh.
Lisa Woolfork 4:13
I mean, I don't know the comic Deadpool. I know the movie Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds. And I think Deadpool is hilarious. He's incredibly funny.
Kia Sangria 4:22
A very hilarious character. For me personally, my husband represents one of the more positive aspects of cosplay, which is not just someone in a costume, but they're actually like becoming the character.
Lisa Woolfork 4:34
Yes.
Kia Sangria 4:35
My husband wears that costume. The costume does not wear him because he was a theater kid—improv and stuff like that. Yes, my husband is just as talented as I am.
Lisa Woolfork 4:45
I love it. I just love it. So you meet, but you kind of don't meet. You meet him as Deadpool. And who were you?
Kia Sangria 4:52
I was also dressed as Lady Deadpool.
Lisa Woolfork 4:55
Well, this is how you know you have something in common: You just happen to show up at the same con, wearing the same costume.
Kia Sangria 5:02
It was a time. Again, don't know this guy, but obviously we're into the same things. We have the same love of comics and stuff, we kind of like we bonded over that. Fast forward to like 2014. At the time we were dressing up as the comic book version of Deadpool, and the comic books Deadpool gets married to this Succubus named Shiklah. So we decided that for New York Comic Con that year, okay, we're gonna dress up as Deadpool and Shiklah. And we're gonna go to the con. The artist that created Shiklah's character was also at Comic Con this year. So I was like, were gonna go like, visit the artist and show him the costume that I made, and it'll be fun. So I'm with my friend, two of my friends, and we go to meet the artist, whose name is Reilley Brown, by the way, absolutely amazing artist.
Reilley Brown, we'll make a note of that in the show notes so you can find some of Reilly Brown's work.
So we visit his booth at New York Comic Con, and I'm like, you know, chatting it up, like, oh, I made this costume. Thank you so much for creating this badass of a woman for Deadpool. And so I'm just geeking out because oh my gosh, I'm dressed as his character (unclear). And then my husband—at the time my boyfriend—gets on his knees. And I'm kind of still chatting up Reilley like I'm not even...
Lisa Woolfork 6:12
[laughs] And remember, I really like how you're doing this dry. And you see, I did the same thing here at the shoulder seam, see? Thank you so much. I love your work.
Kia Sangria 6:19
I'm just you know, going over the details and stuff like that, like, oh, this was really hard, but I figured it out. And as I'm going off and just geeking and like completely not paying attention, my husband gets on his knees and presents a ring. So when I catch him out of my peripheral and I just look to the side. I'm like, what are you doing? Because for me, I thought, is this a bit because we didn't practice anything?
Lisa Woolfork 6:42
Why are you down there on one knee? This is weird.
Kia Sangria 6:44
He's got me off guard because if we're supposed to be doing a bit I wasn't prepared. And now I'm embarrassing myself because I don't know what's going on. So like, what are you doing? [Lisa laughs] My friend is on the other side. She's like, "Oh, my god, girl! It's real!" I was like, "It's real?!" I'm like, "For real? Right here?" It's like on the reel.
Lisa Woolfork 6:56
Oh my gosh.
Kia Sangria 7:01
Right here.
We made the artist's entire comic con experience.
Lisa Woolfork 7:11
Oh my gosh.
Kia Sangria 7:13
Oh, but he drew this character who was the wife to this other character and got to witness two people dressed as these two characters get engaged right in front of him. In the audience was also a Cosmo magazine reporter, so we did end up in Cosmo after the proposal as Deadpool and Shiklah. And so when it came to like planning our wedding, we were just like, you know what, we started off meeting each other in costume, so we're gonna start our new life together the same way. So in the comic book, where Deadpool and Shiklah got married, I think all of the Marvel Universe was invited to this wedding. So what me and my husband did was we went to our friends, and we're like, hey, listen, this is going to be anything but a traditional wedding. But we want everyone to choose somebody from this guest list and make a cosplay for our wedding day, a year from now. And we had created a whole Facebook group for it and everything. And folks were like posting their updates, "Oh, look at my work in progress."
Lisa Woolfork 8:13
Oh my gosh.
Kia Sangria 8:13
One of my favorite costumes was one of our friends. His name is James Ryan. James was an avid Deadpool cosplayer, same as my husband was. So he had several different Deadpool suits. He took each of those suits and took them apart and then stitch them into one suit, specifically for this wedding day. And I thought that that was absolutely incredible. I mean, I had friends who had never actually cosplayed before cosplay specifically for this wedding. Like it was their first time. Because normally, some of them are like, I'm just the photographer and I don't do this.
Lisa Woolfork 8:47
Right.
Kia Sangria 8:48
But I was like for me, please try because I know you'll have a good time.
Lisa Woolfork 8:48
Yes.
Kia Sangria 8:49
Like some of those people went on to continue cosplaying, like after the wedding. They're like, Oh my gosh, I love this now. Like see, like, I'm so happy that I was able to get you to do this thing for my special day because now you found a new love and dressing up. And yeah, it's been great.
Lisa Woolfork 9:08
It's like love on love on love. It's like you two love love each other. You also love cosplay. You are celebrating your love for each other. And you are using the vehicle through which you met, which was cosplay, and extending that and inviting other people to participate in that too. I mean, it's just like, love on love on love. Well done!
Kia Sangria 9:30
Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, by the way. I love love, and I love to share that with people. Even at the wedding—this was before James and his wife got engaged—but they asked, they were like, "Hey, Kia, like, I'm feeling some things tonight. I have a really special song that's really special to me and James. Can we play it?" And I went right to my DJ and I was like, "Listen, I need you to play this song for this couple over here, okay?" And he's like, what? I was like, "I need you to play this song for this couple over here." And I'm just like, yeah, girl, if you're feelin' the vibe, let's keep it going. It was so fun because I know wedding day is for the bride and stuff like that. But it was really special for me to get to share not just the love that I have for my husband, but the love that I have for cosplay with the people that have been a part of our cosplay relationship and friendships. And so it felt more like a con than a wedding. Because it was an old-school Italian venue. And even the staff was like, I wish I had brought my kids, and I was like you could have!
Lisa Woolfork 10:27
Yes, yes, I love that. And I think that's such a beautiful way for us to start our conversation today. Because it seems as though love is the anchor.
Kia Sangria 10:36
It is right.
Lisa Woolfork 10:37
It's love. It's love of creativity and showing that love through the acts of making, of sewing and stitching, and unsewing sometimes, and adding the hot glue and putting this and the embroidery and all of the research that it takes to get it to build in a way that you want. It just feels really powerful. So tell me, what are you looking forward to for this particular cosplay season? What is 2022 bringing to you, because I have seen you with, I think, Simplicity sent you a box of something. And I was like, What is this box that Simplicity has sent Kia? I need to have a whole podcast episode because I'm nosy.
Kia Sangria 11:16
Yeah, so they definitely did send this box. It was a huge box. I did not realize how big this thing was gonna be when it showed up to my house. It basically started—they emailed me and they're like, hey, listen, one of our staff saw one of your videos. And for me, I'm still trying to grow my YouTube channel. I'm off to very humble beginnings, which is totally fine with me because it's part of the process. And I enjoy making videos for like everyone that needs them. You know?
Lisa Woolfork 11:44
Yes, yes.
Kia Sangria 11:45
It kind of dawned on me. I was like, which video did you see, girl? Because...
Lisa Woolfork 11:48
I got a lot of videos. And that's one of the great things, you all, about Kia. Like, for example, in the Black Fae Day group, if there's a question, or how do you do this, or someone approaches you and says, Oh, I'm stuck, Kia will make a video and show you how to do it and then send you the video or post the video. And that is pretty rare. Not a lot of folks are gonna go out of their way. They might tell you a few things. But it takes something I think very generous to create an entire video to show somebody something.
Kia Sangria 12:15
Oh, yeah, I'll do anything for anybody when it comes to this. I actually get most of my content ideas for things that I look for on YouTube, and if I can't find it, then it's like, okay, well, then I'm gonna be the change that I want to see. So I''ll like update (unclear) on how to do this particular insert thing here, because I'm like, I'm not seeing anyone demonstrate it clearly. So I'll go ahead and be like, okay, I'm gonna upload this video. And you know, sometimes when I upload those videos, it was for me to begin with months later, somebody else is probably going to come looking for the same thing. And then they'll find my video because that's actually happened to me quite a few times on YouTube where a video that I uploaded two years ago, in my opinion, didn't do well. And then all of a sudden, it's just getting this traction, because folks are asking me questions like, Oh, I just bought this pattern, but I'm stuck on insert step here. And then it's just okay, well, now that I'm further along, and my sewing journey, I can give you a better technique than what I used to video and then I'll just write out a whole explanation in the YouTube comments. I'll write an explanation in the YouTube comments like a whole essay. Actually, last night, someone asked me, they were like, I'm trying to gather this fabric, but the thread keeps breaking. And I was okay, send me a photo of your machine because I'm gonna take a look at your settings and tell you where you need to be. And then if not, I'm gonna just draw a little piece of paper for you and just demonstrate what it should look like if you're doing it correctly. Yeah, I absolutely love that. So when Simplicity reached out to me, and they're like, Hey, listen, we want to send you this box of cosplay notions and stuff like that, accessories. I was absolutely honored because I was just like, I don't necessarily do any of the things that I do for brand recognition, but it's really nice that folks notice—folks in charge take notice of the work that I'm trying to accomplish out here.
Lisa Woolfork 13:58
Yes.
Kia Sangria 13:59
So I was really excited. And so this big box arrived to my house. I do have an unboxing on Instagram. I have an unboxing to showcase what's in it. But basically this box came with patterns, it came with different types of ribbons and trim, some really expensive laces and stuff like that that I had my eye on, just couldn't hold of.
Lisa Woolfork 14:20
Good.
Kia Sangria 14:20
A calendar, which is nice for planning projects. Also a journal, which is good for writing down different sewing machine settings, because for me personally if I figure out a setting and I like the way a stitch looked, I will literally write down like the project and stuff so I can reference it. So it was really helpful to have that. I actually just finished collaborating with Simplicity and McCall's on a project for last week, which was basically a short reel encouraging people to consider using costume patterns when it comes to their projects. Because through cosplay and through costume patterns that they provide for us on the market...
Lisa Woolfork 14:55
Yes.
Kia Sangria 14:56
...I'm able to become whoever or whatever I want whenever I want. It's really fun to have that kind of power. Just go ahead and do something. I don't know, this weekend was really big. This past week it was actually New York Comic Con in New York City.
Lisa Woolfork 15:10
Yes. So you've got to tell us—you were there?
Kia Sangria 15:13
I was there.
Lisa Woolfork 15:15
I think you were doing some sewing, maybe some things you were finishing up. Was this like off-the-presses sewing?
Kia Sangria 15:20
So I did a panel on Sunday—yesterday, actually, on cos fashion and combining cosplay and fashion together and what that's like for me and how I do that. And one of the things that I spoke about was using like sewing patterns, because I think they're really affordable option, especially if you you want to learn how to make your own things. They're very accessible.
Lisa Woolfork 15:41
Yeah...
Kia Sangria 15:42
I just kind of went into the accessibility of patterns, especially because they've come such a long way from where they were back when my grandma was making things for my mom and stuff. So that was a really successful panel. Folks had lots of questions about costumes. And as always, I tell people all the time, I am a resource. Please don't be afraid to slide in my DMs and like, ask me questions. I'm here to help you. That's what I like to do. I like to share what I know. I like to gain more knowledge. But New York Comic Con was absolutely packed this year. But the costumes were amazing. The cosplayers that come to Comic Con, they bring it every year. I was just so inspired, and—ugh! It's such a good time getting to see because I see people constantly the same character, and they'll all look different. And it's so good. It's so good.
Lisa Woolfork 16:29
Now, can you tell me a little bit more about cos fashion? This idea that you have combined cosplay and fashion. So you were speaking about this at New York Comic Con? Do you have a short definition for those who might not know what cos fashion is? I think I have an idea, but I would rather hear from the expert. What is cos fashion?
Kia Sangria 16:49
It's really just your most fashionable take on cosplay. Trying to think of a character off the top. Let's take a Disney princess, for example.
Lisa Woolfork 16:57
Okay.
Kia Sangria 16:57
They're known for their big ball gowns and stuff like that, which is really nice. But maybe instead of using a cosplay pattern, maybe you go and get yourself a Vogue dress pattern, and you make a gown. And for example, let's take Tiana—you make maybe a nice light green satin gown with a Vogue pattern, something with a train something that gives couture. Same accessories and stuff like that, go ahead to Party City, get you a little accessories and stuff like that. But maybe instead of putting it on a ball gown, you put it on a nice little couture gown that she made with a little pattern. I personally use both patterns like dress patterns for other cosplays because I just thought they looked so pretty and...
Lisa Woolfork 17:37
Yes...
Kia Sangria 17:38
That's basically what cos fashion is. It's basically your most fashionable take on a character that you're cosplaying, which I like that a lot because it allows you to deviate. There's no wrong answer,
Lisa Woolfork 17:48
Right! It really unlocked something in my imagination, like, okay, so what if I was someone who likes the Disney princesses, but I wasn't like a big ballgown person? What if I wanted to change it to some kind of really elegant, sequined jumpsuit or something to change the style a little bit or a different kind of gown that might be a little more streamlined and sleek than the big, puffy outward gown. And so it's taking on some of the principal characters and traits of a costume or of a character, and transforming those into one's particular highest version of fashion. Make it make sense for them. That's really amazing.
Kia Sangria 18:25
Right because the possibilities are absolutely endless for whatever it is that you want to do. People do Victorian versions of the Disney princesses.
Lisa Woolfork 18:33
Yes...
Kia Sangria 18:34
And stuff like that. You can literally do that. And there's no wrong answer because you create the narrative in this case around the character that you're cosplaying, which is again, it's a very fun power to wield.
Lisa Woolfork 18:47
I love it.
Kia Sangria 18:48
It can go like, either way. People have done princess versions of Marvel characters, because Marvel is officially a Disney IP. So people take elements like that and they play around with it. There's this one thing for the X-Men like the Hellfire Gala, which is just like all of the Marvel characters. Gala versions of their standard costumes. So...
Lisa Woolfork 19:09
Wow...
Kia Sangria 19:10
It's whatever you want it to be, and it depending on how you make it, it doesn't even have to be for a cosplay event either. You could just casually walk out wherever and this.
Lisa Woolfork 19:19
I really love that. I'm not sure—are you keeping up with Ms. Marvel? I don't know if you started watching that.
Kia Sangria 19:24
Yeah, I finished Ms. Marvel. I'm currently watching She-Hulk.
Lisa Woolfork 19:26
I'm caught up to all of that. I'm happy to say. But with this young girl, her family is from India, I believe, or Pakistan?
Kia Sangria 19:34
Pakistan. Pakistan.
Lisa Woolfork 19:35
Her family's from Pakistan. She becomes this superhero, and the way they do it was such beautiful specificity, cultural specificity—trying to figure out like, her mom is very traditional, and what can she use versus not use. I don't know. It was just really beautifully done, I thought. I thought it was really cool to watch the two characters try to figure out what they could make. And I thought that's so cute, like to see these kids is trying to use their resources to create something, I don't know, that really speaks to her cultural experience. And I don't know, I just thought it was very cool.
Kia Sangria 20:09
Absolutely, I totally get what you're saying there. And I liked it too. The costume is not just like another superhero costume, like spandex and stuff like that. But this it's a cultural identity because of the way that the costume is designed specifically for her. And it has made specifically for her. I absolutely liked how they did that. Because I think also too, we're so used to comic books and comic book culture being so very American, only a standard type of American.
Lisa Woolfork 20:37
Yes, very American and very white and traditionally male. And then people realize that non-white, non-male people have money as well, and like to buy things, including movie tickets.
Kia Sangria 20:48
Right.
Lisa Woolfork 20:49
And so they start like saying, hey, wait a minute, let's let more people get involved. And I know this becomes like a bit of a controversy in the cosplay community around Canon. And I don't know if this issue is still as hot as it was? Or do you just find like I do, I tend to just spend time with people who feed me. I enjoy being in community with other Black folks. And I don't ever feel like I need to go and audition myself for anybody else's community. But I'm wondering if has that melted or thought any this idea of, you know, you have what, ten thousand people at a con, and there's somebody there saying, "Oh, wait a minute. That's not what Batman supposed to look like." I mean, are people doing that anymore or is that just played out?
Kia Sangria 21:31
I mean, it still exists. I haven't seen it. Because not for nothing, when it comes to the pop culture space, especially like at conventions nowadays, online events, Black people are dominating. We are dominating these spaces. And folks are listening. We just have a very low tolerance for that. So really, when people do come with that type of energy, it's really like they're talking to themselves, because it's like, you're not being heard. Even if you are upset, whatever characters like oh, what's your favorite character? Well, she's gonna be Black today. And that's literally a thing with us. Like, she's gonna be Black today.
Lisa Woolfork 22:10
Exactly. And it's like, guess what? Naruto and all of the folks from Avatar—none of them are white people.
Kia Sangria 22:15
None of them.
Lisa Woolfork 22:16
So how about y'all stop acting like you get to be the ones that say what people look like and what people do.
Kia Sangria 22:21
You know, it's kind of like the same thing with The Little Mermaid thing—how people were in such an uproar about that. And it's just like, she gonna be Black. I don't know what you want. I don't know what you want me to do. She's gonna be Black. It's the end of discussion. It's not up for debate. It's not up for public vote. It just is what it is, and you can keep it moving.
Lisa Woolfork 22:40
Keep it moving. I mean...
Kia Sangria 22:42
We've had to keep it moving, and we've figured—
Lisa Woolfork 22:44
Haven't we?
Kia Sangria 22:45
We had to keep it moving. But we've just carved out a space for ourselves finally. And I think that pop culturally, companies and stuff like that they're waking up to the fact that again, Mrs. Marvel's costume doesn't look like a standard American comic book superhero costume. But that's because everyone's America looks different. And that's fine.
Lisa Woolfork 23:03
Everyone's America looks different, and everyone's version of these characters and how they make them themselves looks different because it's meant to reflect what you see, what you find invaluable. What articulates your great joys about Deadpool and about all the other characters that you cosplay. I love that. And I don't even mean to give them any type of attention on this platform. I just wanted to just emphasize that what you are doing is just of such radical richness, you know? That it's not an alternative, it is a dominant. It is dominant that we get to start and begin with ourselves just like anybody else.
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And so you said you have some pretty exciting things that have happened since we last spoke a few—it feels like a few short months ago. What is happening in the Kia Sangria corner of the cosplay universe? I must know.
Kia Sangria 24:42
For one I am working with another fabric company. It's name is Zelouf Fabrics.
Lisa Woolfork 24:48
I know Zelouf. Yeah.
Kia Sangria 24:50
Yeah. So me and the CEO, Darren, we've been building a very like close relationship. I've been to the showroom and stuff like that, and we're really looking to increase his business but also get him out there to cosplayers and designers alike. I actually just finished updating his website for October. I just finished designing that for him
Lisa Woolfork 25:12
Well done!
Kia Sangria 25:13
Getting his email list together. So please go ahead and subscribe to the Zelouf Fabrics email list because I have some really exciting Q-four sales for y'all. Okay, I've worked out some nice stuff for the holiday season so that ya'll could, you know, fill your fabric stash. Yeah, I'm definitely trying to work with more companies to come up with better ways to support maker communities.
Lisa Woolfork 25:37
Yes.
Kia Sangria 25:37
Especially cosplayers. Because I feel like when it comes to sewing, sometimes we're in the shadows. So I'm really looking for opportunities to encourage more people to pick up sewing through Zelouf Fabrics. So that collaboration and relationship that I'm actively building going until twenty twenty-three—please, guys, please go ahead and sign up now. I promise, the emails I have going out for you guys it'll be so worth it. I'm so excited.
Lisa Woolfork 26:02
Absolutely. We will be sure to put the links to the Zelouf Fabrics website in the show notes. And so people will be able just to click on it and to find what they need.
Kia Sangria 26:10
Awesome.
Lisa Woolfork 26:10
And any other links you want to share with us, we'll be sure to put those there as well.
Kia Sangria 26:14
Thank you.
Lisa Woolfork 26:14
So folks can find you. Absolutely. So what are some of the things that Zelouf has that you want that you were like, Oh my gosh, here's a piece that I think that a cosplayer would really get something out of? Because that's something that you are able to do because you have the eye for it. You can look through a catalog and say, Okay, that's not gonna really do much for my community of sewing because what we're looking for is something different. But this will work. So what kind of direction or guidance were you able to share? Were there certain fabrics that were like, "Oh my gosh, this is so perfect"?
Kia Sangria 26:42
Yes, so Zelouf has a very big fabric, satin fabric collection. They have blue fabric and over thirty different shades of blue. Pinks and over twenty different shades of pink. Orange and like fifteen different shades of orange. At very affordable prices too.
Lisa Woolfork 27:02
Wonderful.
Kia Sangria 27:03
You can get some really nice satins and taffeta at maybe like six ninety-nine a yard, five ninety-nine a yard—absolutely amazing prices. But the colors... Color is very big for me because as someone that likes to take different types of creative control over how I make costumes, having so many different shades of blue and different shades of green,and what have you allows me to customize my looks. So even if I have a closet full of cosplays, even if they're the same color, they'll never all be the same color, because there's a shade of blue here, a different shade of navy here. And I think for cosplayers that make their own things, it's a gold mine because some websites you go in—orange satin is orange satin. And, girl, it's like take it or leave it. Where as like if you could go to... [laughs]
Lisa Woolfork 27:48
What, is this burnt orange or light orange? Naw, girl, it's just orange.
Kia Sangria 27:51
Right! So it's like if you want a rusty orange or if you want a creamsicle, you can get that you, can get that at a very affordable price. And—
Lisa Woolfork 27:51
Well, that's great.
Kia Sangria 27:53
Yeah, and some people find the options overwhelming. Sometimes I do too when I'm looking in that catalog, but just having so many color options, and the names are so luxurious. They have this one blue satin called Cartier Sapphire.
Lisa Woolfork 28:15
Oh my word...
Kia Sangria 28:16
And it is the most sensual fabric I've ever laid my hands on. I haven't cut into it yet. I don't know what to make because it's so pretty. So I'm just hoarding it.
Lisa Woolfork 28:26
It's waiting its time for the right opportunity.
Kia Sangria 28:28
It really is. My birthday dress for this past July was made out of this peacock taffeta.
Lisa Woolfork 28:34
Oh, so it's like iridescent. And I love peacock. I'm gonna have to go check it out. I love peacock.
Kia Sangria 28:39
My first thought when I was putting together my birthday dress was if I was a cosplayer entering like a costume contest, when I go on stage, this costume was going to look different depending on where in the theater you're sitting. And I thought that that was absolutely amazing. So yeah, I really want y'all to get into Zelouf and check out this catalog because it is so big. And this company actually sells fabrics to a lot of high-end designers. I can't name names, but a lot of designers do come into this office to get their fabric from Zelouf. So these are really designer fabrics at such an affordable price. The showroom is in New York City. I've seen it. It's absolutely incredible in that showroom, and the shipping is really fast. There's free swatches, and the swatches are not a little scrap of fabric. They're long. These are long pieces of fabric for a swatch that you get and free swatches. You just pay shipping, and it's not a little square like, be prepared to have a little roll of fabric.
Lisa Woolfork 29:43
Wow.
Kia Sangria 29:44
Which is great if you want to test sewing or something that you've maybe never tested before. And there's no minimums on the (unclear). Guys go crazy.
Lisa Woolfork 29:56
That is awesome. That is really awesome. So I was going to ask about—you said you've just finished the Simplicity collab. Now you have a Zelouf collab heading coming up. Things that you are just finishing and things that we'll be able to follow and enjoy in Q-four for the next few months, and you're still probably like sewing and making costumes?
Kia Sangria 30:15
I am, yes, I actually just finished a dress this afternoon. This dress is actually it's a Selkie-inspired dress. I don't know if you've seen the poufy dresses. It's a Selkie-inspired dress. This dress is actually part of a YouTube video that I'm collaborating on with a another cosplay YouTuber. So basically, our theme was to design Halloween dresses, using the color white and incorporating spiderwebs.
Lisa Woolfork 30:17
Okayyy...
Kia Sangria 30:34
Yes, to do my spiderwebs, I actually experimented with some glow-in-the-dark embroidery thread, which looked absolutely amazing. And I'm excited to get this YouTube video up because before I bought the thread, I went on YouTube looking for videos on how people did it, and I couldn't really find one that I liked. So I'm like, okay, just another opportunity to make the video that I couldn't find so that maybe somebody else who's interested will be able to click this video and learn something else too.
Lisa Woolfork 31:11
Of course.
Kia Sangria 31:11
Yes, so I just finished that dress this afternoon, and then tomorrow I am going to start on another costume. This one will specifically be for Halloween slash anime NYC, which is a con in November. I'm a little bit intimidated by this costume because there's so many pieces to it. But I'm also very excited too because I have to work with crinoline and I've never worked with crinoline before, but I have books on it. I have the Singer Special Occasion Dresses book, this vintage book from the eighties. I have one that talks about crinoline. So I'm about to dive into that tomorrow to learn how to work with this. And then I ordered some fabrics for my husband's costume. He's going to be a clown this year.
Lisa Woolfork 31:54
Oh my gosh.
Kia Sangria 31:54
Yeah. But the old-school one, I guess Marinette style. The character is actually Betty Boop's boyfriend, Koko the Clown.
Lisa Woolfork 32:02
I knew it wasn't going to be a generic clown. I'm like, Okay, wait a minute, she's underselling it, or she's not telling me everything I need to know. Because when she says she's making her spouse a clown costume, this is not at all what I'm imagining. It's not going to be like a big, frilly neck and three buttons on the front. It's gonna be something else extraordinary.
Kia Sangria 32:19
Yeah, it's gonna look really good. I didn't watch Betty Boop growing up. I think I came way after.
Lisa Woolfork 32:25
Yeah, it's a bit old. It's like the thirties.
Kia Sangria 32:27
Yeah.
Lisa Woolfork 32:28
It's pretty old.
Kia Sangria 32:29
Yeah, wasn't even here. Not even thought of. But it's definitely like a vintage-style costume. So I will be making that for my husband next. So the work never stops. I'm always doing something. But I like it, though. This is my joy.
Lisa Woolfork 32:44
I am just loving it so much. I love that it gives you such fullness. it gives me this opportunity to kind of be like, Oh my gosh, look what she's working on. And also how you're just so generous with your contributions and your ability to to say, Hey, let me just show you. I can fill in these gaps for you don't give up. It's like you really don't want people to get frustrated and to quit. Because before you said, "Well, I'm going to do some research, and if I don't find the video I need that means I need to make it." It also makes me wonder, were there folks who were helpful to you, or maybe there was help that you needed and couldn't find when you first started. So maybe that's another thing that you're also filling in as well—that you're trying to be that anchor for somebody that support for somebody because someone helped you in the beginning or because you started out confused and had to learn a lot on your own or a little of both.
Kia Sangria 33:40
It's a little bit of both. But I think specifically for the type of sewing that I do, which is selling for cosplay, it's a little bit different than sewing a blouse or a shirt or a pair of pants or a dress. There's a lot of pieces that go into cosplay making. I'm looking to be that resource. Before that, in August, I had actually hosted my very first cosplay sewing meetup in the Bronx.
Lisa Woolfork 34:04
Oh my word.
Kia Sangria 34:05
Because I was like, you know what? Sewing is hard. But I think sometimes like, sewing on your own can be also difficult if you're not that experienced because it's just you—you don't know where to turn to. So I got a space on a Sunday for me and a couple of people that I've met on Twitter and still just spring our sewing machines bring whatever projects we're working on. And let's just kind of help each other out and like, go through the motions of making things, because then we can ask each other questions or learn something. I think for me because, when I first got into cosplay, there really wasn't guides for it. But you also couldn't go to a sewing class and a craft shop and be shown how to make a costume. The sewing classes that I did get to go to when my mother could afford them for me were how to make pillowcases, how to make tote bags, how to make a pair of elastic waistband pants, which were all great things, like they got me to where it needed to be. But there is nowhere to learn how to make costumes and cosplay items. And so I want to provide that, and I got to provide it physically. My hope is to be able to do that again soon, but I think providing it digitally will also allow me to reach more people. Because the internet was not as big and as fast when I first started getting into this. So really trying to make the things that I know as accessible as I possibly can to people through YouTube, and Tiktok, and Instagram, and things like that. Really, for me, it's all about making things accessible, because people are like Oh, my god, can you make me this? Can you make me this? And it's just like, yeah, I could. But it's really like, if you teach a man to fish, he'll eat for life. If I give you the basics, you will start to create things that I could never even imagine. And it's just now, there's so much creativity sitting up here, and you just can't unlock it. So I'm here to kind of help you unleash that.
Lisa Woolfork 35:50
Yes...
Kia Sangria 35:51
So that's what gets me excited when I will show somebody something. And then I start seeing that thing I showed them get put into play, and I get to see them practice it, and I see it show in all of their other costumes. And I'm just like, go ahead. I'm so proud of you.
Lisa Woolfork 36:06
I love it. I really love this. And what I appreciate about it is that you are correct in that for most folks, if you want to learn to sew, you usually teach people to sew through a set of very basic skills and basic projects. And for some people, that's not going to make them interested in learning how to sew. Like, I don't want to make a pillowcase. I don't want to make a tote bag, I want to make a costume. But the traditional method of teaching sewing says no, you can't make a costume unless you know how to sew a straight line. And you can't learn how to sew a straight line unless you've made some really boring projects. And if you have so much that's kind of mandatory before you do this thing that you really want, it feels less like a training and more like a barrier.
Kia Sangria 36:56
Yeah, or a punishment sometimes too.
Lisa Woolfork 36:59
Yeah, yeah. Like, well, too bad you don't have all this knowledge and skills, and you have to go get it before you can do the thing you really want. I think there's lots of room, as you found, where people like, you know what, I want to make this for Halloween, and I don't want to buy it. I want to try to do it myself. And there's very little, very little instruction, I think from that point that allows someone to start with what they want, rather than here's a program that you can do, but you have to do it in the order that I'm saying.
Kia Sangria 37:29
It's not fun. And I actually had someone asked in my sewing meetup because they're like, Oh, do you need to know how to sew to come to this meetup? And I'm like, Jesus, no. First of all, come as you are. If you don't know how to sew, we're gonna teach you today, but at least come and watch me sew a cosplay in real time. And you can see specifically what I'm doing. Like, I can walk you through like what's happening, how to read the instructions. Because I have to tell you, Lisa, people get design, but when it comes to making a costume, they don't know. So just to fill you in, when I went to meet Darren at his office, I had actually came back from the sewing store. I'm in New York City, and I had some patterns with me. And he asked me about them. He's like, what is that? Because he just sells fabric. That's all he does. He sells fabrics to the designers who don't know anything about the seamstress—
Lisa Woolfork 38:15
Home sewing! That's right, that's right. Designers aren't walking in with patterns.
Kia Sangria 38:20
No, they're walking in with the drawings. They're not coming with the patterns. So when I showed it to him, I was like, this is the pattern he's like, "Is everything in the envelope?" And I'm like, no, my child. [laughs]
Lisa Woolfork 38:32
When I open this envelope, a costume is gonna jump out, right?
Kia Sangria 38:35
I'm like, these are the pattern pieces. And I actually unfolded the pattern in his office. And I was like, these are the lines that tell you what size you're cutting. Each number here corresponds to a set of measurements on this envelope. And he's like, "Oh, what is this?" I'm like, these are the instructions. So this is going to show you the steps in putting the garment together. And Darren is like, "I've never seen this before." He's like, "I talk to the designers, but you guys are doing the real work. Because stitching it here...," he's like, "this could make a break garment." And I'm like, yes, you're correct. I started teaching him about bust darts. So I'm like, yes, this will make or break a garment because the fit is important. So in order for you to get that curve around the bust area, you need to have a dart on the side.
Lisa Woolfork 39:16
At least one, at least one depending on how big you are up top.
Kia Sangria 39:16
Right. Sometimes you need a couple.
Lisa Woolfork 39:16
A couple.
Kia Sangria 39:16
But I'm like this right here, this little stitch will make or break your garment. Because the designer so come to him and talk. They're like I need a thousand bolts of this. I need this printed on this. So he doesn't talk to the seamstresses. So this was his first time seeing a home sewing pattern. He's like, "Where do you buy these?" I was like, I buy them at the sewing store right downstairs from your office. Because he's in the same building as Mood. So I'm like I buy them right downstairs.
Lisa Woolfork 39:16
That is very funny.
Kia Sangria 39:19
Yeah, it was. And it just for me, it was just wow. You guys just don't we out here.
Lisa Woolfork 39:53
I think this is great. And it's a great example and a testimony to what you hope to do, which is to advocate to build bridges, to make sure that people have what they need to succeed and to thrive in the things they want to sell and to make. And so by educating this person who owns a fabric store and who is used to working with the designer end but not the kind of user end. The end user, for us, would be making the thing. And so I think that that's really great that you got a chance to say, well, this is a whole different angle of people who are very enthusiastic and definitely want to buy your fabric, especially after I show them what they can do with it. So I think that's genius on your part, but also a great service and a benefit that you're sharing with the cosplay community. So thank you for that.
Kia Sangria 40:36
Of course, of course.
Lisa Woolfork 40:38
That's wonderful.
Kia Sangria 40:39
I just want to be of service. That's really what my mission here is.
Lisa Woolfork 40:42
You know, one of the questions I wanted to ask you, and I don't know if you can identify one, but what would you identify as your most ambitious cosplay? That was something I was really interested in the most ambitious by your standards, because I think everything you do, everything you put on your body looks ambitious to me, because I'm just like, oh my gosh, that it looks really amazing. But from your side, do you have one that you were like, oh, my gosh, I was really proud of this. Or this was not what I expected. But it turned out great. Do you have a story like that of you're like, most ambitious?
Kia Sangria 41:14
My Halloween costume is actually going to be my most ambitious costume because it involves, again, it involves a fabric that I've never worked with before, crinoline, and and I had to get five yards of it for this particular project.
Lisa Woolfork 41:29
That's right. And that's gotta be so stiff.
Kia Sangria 41:31
It's so stiff. This cosplay also involves me using my Cricut machine to cut out like appliques and stuff like that. But this has been like a dream cosplay of mine forever. The character's name—you can look it up later—her name is Bayonetta. I'll actually show you—I'll send you some photos of her design.
Lisa Woolfork 41:49
Please!
Kia Sangria 41:49
I'm gonna try to get as close to the design as possible, but I have wanted to cosplay this character.
Lisa Woolfork 41:54
And what's her name again? You got to spell it for me. Bayo—like a bayonet?
Kia Sangria 41:58
Bayonetta let me type it out for myself. So it is: B-A-Y-O-N-E-T-T-A.
Lisa Woolfork 42:06
That's what I thought. Bayonetta. Yes. Okay, so Bayonetta. You are going to be Bayonetta and who is Bayonetta?
Kia Sangria 42:13
Bayonetta is a video game character. She's from a Nintendo game. Her third game actually comes out October twenty-eighth.
Lisa Woolfork 42:21
Oooh...
Kia Sangria 42:22
So I'm also kind of on the deadline here. But basically, she's an icon. I know for Nintendo people like Princess Peach, but Bayonetta is a Nintendo icon of herself.
Lisa Woolfork 42:33
Really?
Kia Sangria 42:34
Okay. You know, Diahann Carroll. Dominique Devereaux from Dynasty.
Dynasty, yes.
That is the vibe that this character gives me.
Lisa Woolfork 42:39
No way!
Kia Sangria 42:40
She is absolutely fabulous and about her business, just like Dominique Devereaux.
Lisa Woolfork 42:49
Oh. my gosh, well, her name is Bayonetta. If you think about a bayonet as a weapon.
Kia Sangria 42:54
Yes.
Lisa Woolfork 42:54
And then a Bayonetta is just feminine, it's flirty, but it's also dangerous. You know...
Kia Sangria 43:01
You basically just described her without even seeing her, but yeah, that is exactly what this character is. And I wanted to be this character since I was in high school, and I'm twenty-nine years old now. So...
Lisa Woolfork 43:11
I love it.
Kia Sangria 43:12
I just love as a character how empowered she is to make decisions for herself, and I've always looked up to that. So I feel like once I complete this cosplay like, my dream cosplay will be completed until I latch onto another one. But I've literally had her in mind for years now. So this is going to be my most ambitious cosplay, not just because of the design, which I'm using six different patterns to create this costume.
Lisa Woolfork 43:38
Wow, six patterns.
Kia Sangria 43:40
Six different patterns. We are combined. We're using Simplicity, Butterick, Burda, McCall's, and Simplicity.
Lisa Woolfork 43:50
Wow, I cannot wait. Oh, my gosh, Girl, please. Sometimes I just be like, ugh, this one pattern is a lot. There's too many pieces. I don't feel like being bothered. And you're like, no, no, no, I want all the patterns, all the pieces.
Kia Sangria 44:05
I've actually recently started making this harder on myself because now I trace my patterns instead of cutting into them. Because recently, I found some rare patterns that Simplicity doesn't make anymore, some rare costume patterns I got in bigger sizes. And I did that because if I come across someone who's like, oh, I would love to make this costume. Well, I'm like if you give me your measurements, I will trace these pattern pieces for you, and I will mail them to you. And I'll just photocopy the instructions so you can go ahead and try in your hand.
Lisa Woolfork 44:34
Oh, my gosh, unbelievable. I mean, your willingness to share information and to be of support—here's an out-of-print pattern, and you might be interested in it. And I'm gonna help you with this out-of-print pattern by sharing as much information with you as possible so you can make it, so it won't be out of your reach. That's just wow, yeah, that is incredible.
Kia Sangria 44:36
I'm always hunting for patterns that are in different sizes outside of my own because sometimes patterns can not be size accessible. When I do find costume patterns that are, I will always buy them for someone else, and I can just trace it for whomever.
Lisa Woolfork 45:10
Right and just say, "Hey, I found this and if you ran out, here's another copy, etcetera." Awesome. Now I have to ask you this question that I always ask everyone when we get to the end. It went by much faster than I anticipated. So I'm really excited about your Bayonetta costume. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled. You all, this episode is going to release the last Wednesday of October. That means that this Bayonetta costume is hashtag loading right now.
Kia Sangria 45:35
Yes.
Lisa Woolfork 45:35
That here is I'm looking at the date that this episode's gonna drop. Oh my goodness, it's the twenty-sixth of October. And that means about five days before Halloween. So you all, check out Kia Sangria on Instagram and on YouTube so we can find this amazing work. But before I let you go, I have to ask: The slogan of the Stitch Please podcast is that we will help you get your stitch together. I'm going to ask you what advice would you have for our listeners today, Kia, that will help them get their stitch together?
Kia Sangria 46:07
Don't be afraid to ask your peers for questions. No question is a stupid question. Please ask us because we want to help you. We're a digital sewing circle. I don't care where you're at or how far you are. We're a digital sewing circle. And I want to see you guys get your stitch together. I want to see the things that you guys make because I'm inspired by you guys, too. I'm always looking for like fellow inspiration and stuff like that. So ask me questions, because maybe I'll learn, and if I don't know the answer, then I guess we're just gonna learn it together.
Lisa Woolfork 46:08
Absolutely. Yes. And on that note, Kia, can you tell us where can we find you? Where can people find you and follow you and learn more about what you're doing so we can see this Bayonetta outfit for ourselves when it's ready?
Kia Sangria 46:49
Yes, so you can follow me on Instagram at Kia Sangria N-Y, and you could also watch some of my cosplay sewing videos on YouTube at Kia Sangria ninety-three. I have a new video that's coming soon, but if there's anything that you'd want to see, please be sure to ask. You can also follow me on TikTok right now as well at Kia Sangria N-Y. And I'm right now doing a series on all five of my sewing machines and their features. So if you are in the market for your first sewing machine, come talk to Kia because Kia got five.
Lisa Woolfork 47:20
Kia, I saw that I thought that was really great. So absolutely yes. Kia Sangria, thank you so much for being with us today. This was really very special. Thank you.
Kia Sangria 47:32
Thank you so much for having me, Lisa. It was a pleasure to be here again.
Lisa Woolfork 47:38
You've been listening to Stitch Please, the official podcast of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. We appreciate you joining us this week and every week for stories that center Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. We invite you to join the Black Women Stitch Patreon community with giving levels beginning at five dollars a month. Your contributions help us bring the Stitch Please podcast to you every week. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your support, and come back next week, and we'll help you get your stitch together.