For ten years, NipahDubs (pronounced Knee-paw) has been turning the cosplay scene on its head with his creativity as YouTuber, cosplayer extraordinaire, and the closest person to being a real keyblade master! On June 5th, I got the opportunity to sit down with NipahDubs and talk about how it all began, where he’s going, and how he wants to use his platform for raising awareness of social movements.
Walker: To kick things off, you’ve been cosplaying for ten years! How do your costumes compare from then and now? Did you see yourself becoming as well known as you are today?
Nipah: When I started I didn’t even have a sewing machine. I hand-sewed or used glue. Most of them were made from altered clothing. While I am proud of what I did with limited supplies, I have definitely come a long way.
I never started cosplaying hoping to be well known. It just happened as I continued. I am really thankful for the support I have been given.
Walker: Where do you see it in another ten years? Last year you did a project to cosplay *every* Kingdom Hearts character. Is there another, more ambitious project you have in mind for the future?
NipahDubs: Yes! For the release of KH3, I cosplayed a KH character for 29 days straight. I don’t think I could ever out-do myself on that one, honestly! I’m unsure how I even managed it myself looking back. All it takes is some inspiration and it could happen again.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6rentXl6w6/
As cosplay becomes mainstream I would love to apply my skills to professional costume design for film. Cosplay is my job now, but I would love to do bigger projects. I’m always learning and making costumes for others. I would love to explore it more in the next ten years.
Walker: Several cosplayers can take months per costume. However, in your 2019 wrap-up, you clocked out with 58 in total. How much time do you spend per costume?
Nipah: It depends on how passionate I am. Kingdom Hearts means a lot to me, so I finished a cosplay every couple of days. Most were easy designs. Yet, Aymeric from Final Fantasy XIV took me two weeks. Full armor, cloth work, embroidery, and a bunch of other skill sets were needed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HFOrBguXc/
Some cosplays still take me months because of my inspiration to finish it moved to another project. Maybe that is why I make cosplays so fast. If I take too long then I end up wanting to work on something else. Cosplay became my full-time profession. I document the work process to share on Patreon. I also do wig styling commissions. I’m almost always working.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9M9FIGF_pR/
Walker: Which cosplay would you say you learned the most from?
NipahDubs: Vanitas from Birth by Sleep. I had to sew a muscle suit and make his keyblade from scratch. I was still a novice with props then. I had to learn about fabric paints, MDF boards, insulation foam, resin casting, molds, and thermoplastics. Pretty much everything went into Vanitas. An advanced cosplay like that allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqYMEQFM20/
Walker: What is still a challenge for you?
Nipah: Makeup definitely! At least pretty makeup, I can do special effects makeup to a certain degree but glamorous makeup is something I have trouble with, even with tutorials. My bad habit is that I try to cut corners on anything.
Walker: What do you think about people who commission the majority, if not all their cosplay? Does that take away from the experience?
Nipah: Of course not. You’re financing an independent artist! Not everyone has the time or skills to make cosplays, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Commissioning is an amazing way to go about it and I love it when people give me the honor to work with them.
Walker: Now, because of the time of year, let me wish you a happy pride month! How are you and your fiancé doing?
Nipah: Thank you! Andrew and I are good. During quarantine, we’ve had time to sit down and talk about future endeavors like wedding plans. It’s very exciting!
Walker: Did you meet him through cosplay?
Nipah: Before I cosplayed I was on YouTube making fandubs/covers! That’s how I got the “Dubs” part in my name and I met him through that. There is a whole community of people there and we were introduced to each other via different friend groups.
Walker: And you’re still doing dubs on the side!
Nipah: It’s been a while, but yes! I did a cover for Three Houses a few months back. Right now I don’t have anything planned. Covering music/doing dubs takes work that I haven’t been able to focus my attention on, but it is something I like to revisit, to remember my roots. It still makes me happy.
Walker: You’ve incorporated your singing with your cosplay, haven’t you? I remember a while back there was talk of a music video in part with Square-Enix, wasn’t there?
NipahDubs: Yes! I was a part of a Square-Enix music video celebrating Kingdom Hearts 3! It was a privilege to work alongside Traci Hines and her team.
Walker: Do you feel there have been struggles in your career that came with being openly bisexual?
Nipah: The cosplay community in the U.S has been welcoming regarding my sexuality and it allowed me to be more open about it. Any struggles/comments that were directed at me usually came from those who knew nothing about cosplay and happened upon my work. I am fortunate to not have had much negativity thrown at me regarding my sexuality from those within the community.
Walker: You’ve still been very vocal about standing against discrimination or sexual harassment of any kind. Do you feel these kinds of issues are happening less often in the cosplay community? How would you suggest people can help?
Nipah: It’s improved, but sadly harassment still happens frequently. It’ll take many more years to progress for the better, I think. One may not see it as bad because it doesn’t affect you, but you can’t ignore it. Listen to those speaking out and do research when you don’t understand. No one is required to teach you why something is wrong. Doing nothing means nothing will change.
Walker: I think that just about covers all the work and personal life questions. Let’s move on to a few that are just for fun.
Nipah: Sounds good!
Walker: What is your favorite Disney movie, and why?
Nipah: Lilo and Stitch is my favorite 2D Disney movie. Its themes exploring found families and it not being a bad thing to be an outcast were elements that I needed growing up and helped shape me. It’s a similar feeling I have with Tangled, my favorite 3D Disney film.
Walker: And my favorite question is always: when you die, if your ashes were made into a record, what song would you want on it?
Nipah: “Tomorrow and Tomorrow” from Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. The song is a bit somber but also optimistic about the future. I think that one would be rather fitting.
Walker: Nipah, thank you so much for joining us today. Are there any final thoughts you would like to say to our readers?
NipahDubs: There will be people who discourage you from what you love and what makes you happy, solely because you enjoy it. Whether it’s your ethnicity, sexuality, or anything else. Don’t let them win. Don’t let people take that spark of happiness from you. Share it. It’s infectious. Take it from someone who hit obstacles to get where I am standing. Thank you to those who support or enjoy my work and continue to be kind to one another.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Klk6MJyw-/
Keep up with NipahDubs on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Patreon.
