Meet Your Board: Sam Moreno, Event Co-Coordinator

Why costuming? What brought you here?

I love creating and making stuff with my own hands. I also love bringing my favorite characters to life and cosplay/costuming is a great way to do that! I joined the GBACG to make friends since I’m new to the Bay Area and be a part of the wonderful costume community!

What’s your costuming focus?

Cosplay, mainly anime/manga characters, but also cartoons, sci-fi and some comic book characters.

Do you do anything else crafty or artistic?

I have my own Etsy shop and make handbags and some jewelry. I also love to do hand embroidery and crochet. Enters shameless plug here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DuatDesign

What’s your day job?

I work at Cal Academy and help develop and build exhibits.

What was the first costume you made? Is there a picture?

I consider my first cosplay to be Scorpion from “Mortal Kombat.” I bought a cheap costume and modified it (not sure where a pic of it is though).

What’s on the sewing table now?

A fancy version of Sophie from “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

What was your first/most memorable costuming disaster/ learning moment?

I fabricated a pressure tank that was worn on my back, and it had a little gauge sticking up from the top. I attached the whole thing with very tough velcro to the corset I was wearing. It was holding until I went under a stanchion while in line. The rope got caught on the gauge that was sticking up and it tore the whole thing with the velcro off my corset. My friend helped me hot glue and tie it back on in the cosplay repair area of the con I was at. It took about an hour to fix, but it lasted the rest of the day, and that’s what counts!

 Costume you’re most proud of?

I have a few, La Muerte from “The Book of Life,” Maki from “Jujitsu Kaisen” and Mumei from “Kabinari of the Iron Fortress.”

What’s your holy grail costuming project? The one you dream of doing?

Sanakan from “Blame!” She would be so cool but very complicated to make!

Tell us one (or two or three) things about you that others might not know.

1. I’m learning Japanese.
2. I’ve been to Egypt.
3. My degree is in Archaeology.