Having a unique cosplay is the key to turning heads at conventions and building a following online. If you’ve ever asked yourself, How Do I Make My Cosplay Stand Out, the answer lies in combining strong craftsmanship with creative presentation. With the right techniques, you can impress in person while also creating content that helps your cosplay shine on social media and beyond.
Creative Mashups or Crossovers
A crossover or mash up cosplay is when someone blends two or more different characters, fandoms or concepts into a single costume. Like mixing a Marvel hero and Sailor Moon outfit. Find the perfect combination that no one has seen to stand out. Be sure to use recognizable elements from both characters so people are able to recognize which characters you’re cosplaying.
Genderbends
Turn a character into the opposite gender for another unique cosplay. You can make a lady version of Joker or turn a Disney princess into a prince. Redesign the costume to better fit the other gender while maintaining key elements of the original character. Then you’re bound to have people recognizing your unique design. I myself created a genderbend Beetlejuice cosplay that also uses a lot of original designs.
Original Designs
Push your creativity to the limits and try to make an original design of an existing character. Reimagine them in a different circumstance, time period or art style while remembering to use the major elements of the character (color scheme, symbols). Doing this will both create something familiar and entirely new so you can stand out while showing off your design skills.
Engagement & Stage Presence
The more in character you act, the more people will remember you. Either out on the con floor or on stage during a contest, ensure your engagement or stage presence best mirrors how the character acts or behaves. This will help you stand out from people cosplaying the same character that lack on the performance side.
Embroidery or Embellishing
Take existing symbols, designs or details on the cosplay and embellish or embroider them. This will make these details stand out with something unique and shares your creative side. You can embellish with things like rhinestones, sequins and more. These unique details will make your cosplay shine and be noticed by anyone who sees it.
FX: Electronics, Smoke, Lights & Sounds
Everyone loves special effects in cosplay. From motorized components, lights, fog machines and even sounds, there’s a variety of electronics you can incorporate into your costume to make it a show stopper. Not many people are able to create with special effect techniques, so you are sure to stand out if you manage to master these skills. Use a motor to make your wings flap, put lights in props or incorporate speakers to blast your characters theme song throughout the con floor.
Unique Mediums
EVA foam, fabrics and thermoplastics are staples for creating cosplays. So explore a medium that isn’t so common. Unique mediums like wooden dowels to make arrows, hoses for tubing on props or sci fi costumes, wooden cubes for Minecraft props and more is on the table. Or push the limits and try materials like perler beads, commonly used by PerlerTricks. The only limit is your imagination and your cosplay is bound to stand out by using something never seen before.
Patterned Fabrics
Unique fabrics are another way to make your cosplay stand out. If the fabric of a character is normally plain or just a solid color, find something that has a pattern fitting to the character. I myself used a red fabric with a golden pattern for my Stolas vest that fit the royal character and made the vest unique from anyone else’s costume.
Being Larger Than Life
It’s hard to miss a larger than life cosplay when you’re walking around on a con floor. While you shouldn’t sacrifice quality just to go bigger, you can go this route to get noticed. Things like Fallout power armors, Warhammer armors, Transformers and more can stand out thanks to your size and how uncommon these cosplays are. Larger than life cosplays aren’t easy to create, so you’re sure to be unique from other cosplayers in them.
Gravity Defying Wigs
Wigs that somehow manage to defy gravity tend to stand out from standard wigs. Whether it’s the towering spikes of an anime hairstyle, the sweeping curls of a fantasy villain, or a wig styled into shapes no one thought possible, big hair makes a big impact. Achieving this usually requires strong wig-styling techniques, wire supports, and lots of hairspray or glue—but the payoff is a head-turning centerpiece for your cosplay.
Crazy SFX Makeup
Special effects makeup can completely transform your face or body into something unrecognizable. From realistic scars and wounds to alien skin textures and full creature designs, SFX makeup lets you bring characters to life in ways that fabric alone can’t. The more detailed and believable your makeup, the more memorable your cosplay becomes. It’s a fantastic way to stand out, especially if you enjoy the challenge of blending artistry with performance.
Breakaways
A breakaway cosplay is one that transforms right before people’s eyes. Think of a costume with hidden layers, quick-change elements, or props that reveal something unexpected—like tearing away one outfit to reveal another underneath. These cosplays create moments of surprise and excitement on the con floor, making them perfect for masquerades, contests, or simply catching attention in a crowd. Pulling off a clean, smooth transformation takes planning and practice, but the results can be unforgettable.